Blades of Creation
by Xenolord
Summary: Once more, the Hero of Time must defeat Ganon and his evil machinations. This time, however, he has the aid of another hero from a different reality. A woman known as 'The Champion of the Veil'. Pretty much a reboot of the Zelda timeline, with elements from most every game.
1. Prologue

The Legend of Zelda

Blades of Creation

 _The rivers of time flow, ever onwards. Those cast into the rapids are carried – unending and mercilessly – towards the conclusion of their lives. People live and die in the rivers of time. However... a stone cast into this river will have immediate repercussions... and lasting effects as it's ripples spread down the current. And where does this ripple end? At what point does a ripple once more become a wave?_

-The Kingdom of Hyrule. Year Twenty Three of the Fifth King's Rule; 5K23-

Gentle, lithe footsteps clack down the tile floor, a pair of lithe legs carry a figure down a darkened hallway, her steps sure and long; her posture straight and proper. Though she wears a mask of content calm, worry alights her sapphire eyes... blue pools as pure as a cloudless sky dart from one dark corner to another, the dim torchlight dying in the stiff breeze within the castle. Worry casts a dark shadow across her heart, and she must speak with _it_ before it is too late. Her father does not perceive the danger... how can he? When he is too busy with diplomacy and affairs of the court. It is strange... he worries so for his kingdom, yet he cannot see the danger that is lying under his very nose. Spectacle Rock trembles with fury even now... and Death Mountain is not too far behind.

Dainty fingers push a heavy door open, the oak barrier creaking open with no shortage of force from the woman's end. Her extravagant pink dress flutters chaotically in the stagnant air that rushes to escape from the once-sealed chamber, her blonde hair snapping about her face. She looks inside, a gentle gold glow emanating from the three interlinked triangles which rest on the cushioned platform in the room before her. She draws a slow breath in and takes a step forward. Only the court wizard would be allowed to commune with _it_... but times were desperate, and if her father cannot perceive the threat... then measures must be taken. As if anticipating her presences, the heavy doors slowly shut behind her as she enters, her sapphire eyes plastered – her gaze locked – on the golden triangles before her. The closer she gets to them, the more lustrous their shine becomes... and with one step, the artifact begins to rise from it's platform.

 _Who..._

A voice echoes in her head. Gathering her expensive dress, she drops to her knees and bows her head in reverence to the artifact before her. She says nothing at first, simply showing the artifact her people diefy the respect it requires.

 _Who art thee?_

The voice forms a question in her head, causing the woman's gaze to rise to meet the now-floating artifact. She draws one final breath in – feeling as though she has not been breathing since entering – and answers as she was always taught when talking to people of great import. "Great Triforce..." Her words are honeyed and clarion as she addresses the artifact – the Triforce. "I am afeared that a powerful darkness has taken hold of the kingdom..." She pauses, her brain thinking of how best to form her sentences. "My father the King does not perceive this danger, as his gaze is turned across the sea... however, I have heard the words of travelers... rumblings from the south, from Spectacle Rock. The Southern Mountains heave and shudder... I fear that there is foul magic at play..." She pauses, bowing her head to the Triforce. "Please... Great Triforce. Show me the path to grant my father the sight to perceive this threat... and the wisdom to know how best to handle it... I beg of you..." She does not look up from her bowed head, her hands planted firmly upon the carpeted floor. Surely, t'would be a sight to see, a princess groveling before an ancient and powerful magic.

 _Ahh... thou art Zelda, yes?_

"Yes, Great Triforce."

 _I, too, hath sensed this growing darkness. I am not surprised one such as thee hath felt it. Know that I cannot grant thy wish. Thy father is a figurehead. In the coming age of darkness, it be not by the will of kings the world shall live... but by the deeds of heroes. Thou needst not a king, but a hero._

"Then please... Great Triforce... help me search for a hero!"

 _I knowest of two, though there is little to be done for the first. Go thee to the town of Ruto, and seek thee a young lad – dressed in green and a heart to rival even mine own golden shimmer. Go there not as Princess, but pauper. Ask the lad to accompany thee back to thy home. Gift him a sword and shield, and beg with him as thou hast begged with me. Pleade with he to save thy kigndom._

"I will, Great Triforce! I will! I will go to Ruto and do this thing you ask of me... but... please... what of the other you spoke of? What shall become of them?" A ruby tongue slides quickly across dried lips, the lump in her throat melting at the heartening words the Triforce fills her mind with.

 _The other is beyond the ken of mortal men. No message, no plead shall reach beyond the veil... it shalt only fall upon deafened ears. I shall summon thy second champion, though I pretend not to know how thy champion shall react to such... methods._

"Please, Great Triforce... if there is even a chance, I shall take it. I thank you... for gifting me with the wisdom I sought."

 _The path was always in thy heart, Princess. I simply illuminated it for thee. Go now. You hath no time to waste_.

Doing as instructed, the woman gave one final thanking bow to the artifact and stood. Collecting her dress from around her legs, she sprinted from the treasury, spiriting herself away towards her chambers to redress for her ordeal. If she were lucky, and none of the palace guard spotted her, she should be able to catch a carriage to Ruto, and arrive before sunset.

-The Town of Ruto; That Evening-

The sun was falling behind the mountains by the time the woman reached her destination. She had changed from pristine pink robes to a grungy, sand-blasted cloak over light rags. Unflattering, but only a true hero would hear the plea of a pauper. The streets were reasonably busy, business in the market was winding down as the sun was slowly reaching it's day's end. Her sapphire eyes – perhaps the only thing that remained pristine on her otherwise grubby exterior – scanning the crowd for the 'lad dressed in green'. Many people rushed by her, yet none were dressed in any shade of green.

Home after home, street after street she covered, praying that her search would not be in vain. Where, oh where, could this hero be the Triforce spoke of? It could not have been wrong. Simply nursing the notion the Triforce was wrong was a wholly inconceivable notion for the woman, and it was simply not a thought she would allow to cloud her judgment. No, she was simply not searching hard enough. She turned down an alley to cut across to another street, when she found her path blocked by two men – one rather bulky, and the second rather lanky – looking at her as a starving man may gaze upon food.

"Well, well, well... what do we have here? Gettin' awefully late to wander the streets, don'cha think?" The lanky man spoke, his rugged exterior belying his otherwise unimpressive frame. His dirty green eyes smoldered with ill-intent, and a single look from them sent shivers down her back. How he spun that knife about his fingers... how he glared... She turned to flee the way she came, but found herself surrounded by three more men who were looking at her with the same lecherous stare.

"Yeah... night time can be awefully dangerous, darlin'. You... you should stay with us." One of the new assailents began.

"Yeah..." Another echoed. "We'll treat'cha real good."

"S-stay away from me...!" She tried to muster her courage, to stare this threat in the eyes and emerge victorious... yet the more they gazed, the more she felt her courage faulter.

"Aww, there's no need'a be scared. We'll be... real gentle." All was lost. She had come to this city searching for a hero... and here she would die, being used by a gang of thugs. Perhaps... perhaps it was possible for the Triforce to be wrong...?

"You know..." A new voice came, interrupting the scene that was about to play out. The lanky man with dirty green eyes looked up to spot a young man, perched upon the roof of a house, his green tunic barely visible in the low light. "You... really shouldn't be picking on your betters. We had this discussion last week, Daarius. Did nothing I said get through that thick skull of yours?" He slapped his head gently, his blonde hair flapping sweetly in the wind. "Ah, what am I saying? Of course it didn't. Leave the poor wretch alone, would you? I'm sure there are dirtier holes you can be sticking your-"

"Piss off, urchin! I found'er first!"

"'Found her'? Daarius, she's a woman, not a prize. Do you need me to kick your ass again? Over this? Fine, but this time, I'm going to make you clean up the streets with your face."

"Leave the bitch! Let's teach this _hero_ not to be stickin'is nose in bid'ness that ain't his!" The three men that closed in from behind pushed past the woman and advanced on the young man.

"One moment." The young man held a finger up, and reached into a small satchel at his side. From within, he withdrew a matching hat, it's long, pointed form looking like it belonged upon the head of a gnome more then a man. He gently fitted the hat on his head and then took a solid hold of a hand wagon's handle, and with a swift kick, broke it off into an impromptu weapon. "Alright, let's go."

Daarius struck first, swinging his knife wildly, which the young man managed to expertly dodge, twisting his body in just the right way where each slash of the blade found only air, not even shredding a thread of his tunic. Another man – bulky and muscular – advanced to attack, but his wild punch only connected with the wooden building, causing him to yelp in pain. "Bad big ugly!" The young man spoke simply, whacking the hulking mass with the wooden staff on the back of his right leg, bringing him down. "No breakfast!" He finished, bashing his head with the stick to knock him out. The other two hulks met similar fates, one attempting to charge the young man only to run full-speed into a wooden wall, and the second was tripped and knocked out with a solid kick to his face. The last goon – the original behemoth that was with the lankier Daarius shuffled his way out of the fight, after the other three goons were rendered useless.

"Get back'ere ya galoot!" Daarius shouted to the hulking, fleeing mass.

"Aaah, look'it that, Daarius. Looks like women aren't the only thing your ugly mug repulses. It's been fun, really it has but.. I'm late for dinner." Spinning, the young man kicked the knife out of his hand with one leg, then delivered a powerful kick to the side of his head with the other, knocking the man down and out. Taking a deep breath, he held the wooden dowel out sideways and – his impromptu weapon having served it's purpose – dropped it on Daarius' head. "And done." He turned to the woman and smiled. "Are you alright, m'lady?"

"Y-yes... yes, I'm quite alright, thanks to you, sir... may I get your name?"

"I'd love to sit and chat, but I've got somewhere to be. Get yourself indoors, alright? Daarius here isn't the only degenerate to wander the streets."

"Sir!" She shouted after him, the young man turning. "I... I must insist you come with me. Please... the fate of the kingdom may verily be at hand..." The young man paused, blinking.

"Fate'a the kingdom, eh? Sounds serious..." He cupped his chin in a hand and thought. "Okay so... let's pretend you're serious-"

"I am, sir. Very."

"Let's _pretend_." He repeated. "...who exactly are you to be in possession of that kind of information?"

"I cannot tell you right now. I only ask that you come with me... please. I will explain everything once we return to the c-" She paused. "My home." The man thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Well, you don't _look_ insane... and you've got a certain firmness to your tone... alright! I'll bite. Where are we going?" The woman sighed happily.

"I shall show you soon enough, sir."

"Please... call me Link." He corrected with a wink.

-Orlando, Florida. January 18th, 2012-

The young girl sprinted away from the blaring alarm of the convenience store she had just stolen from. It had become an almost daily thing for her – not necessarily from this one store – for her to be running away from some kind of legal ramification. Her name no one knew, nor cared to... she was just another 'gutter snipe' in an otherwise pristine city. Sure, maybe Orlando wasn't as big a city as say New York or Boston... but that doesn't mean it didn't have it's share of problems. Hauling her thin frame over a fence, she dropped to the other side – her heart hammering in her chest and her lungs working over time to replace all the oxygen she had used running – and looked into her bag at what she had managed to make off with. Five bottles of water, a four pack of cheap toilet paper, a new pair of socks to replace the ones she was wearing holes into, a rather large supply of snack crackers that would have to suffice as food for the day, twelve newspapers rolled up and ready for burning, and a cheap-ass umbrella... just in case the summer rain picks up again. She put her head against the fence and tried to slow her breathing and heart rate. The lazy cops were going to chase her probably for the rest of the day, but after that, they'd call the search off.

That's how things worked in this world. She made off with a grand total of no more then fifteen dollars worth of stuff, so she wasn't high on the priority list. Of course, the news was going to blow this whole thing out of proportion as it always did. It would be another 'armed robbery' they report on, where the suspect walked in, armed with more weapons then a video game protagonist, and made off with millions of dollars in cash. Pheh... if they only knew the truth. Twisting the caps off one of the bottles of water, she slugged it down to re-hydrate, looking about her surroundings. It was a place she came to often, the only real refuge she had. Sure, by all rights she wasn't homeless, she had a home to go to, but the other people who lived there – who despite caring for her about as much one might care for the plastic wrapping of a candy bar – insisted on making her call them her 'parents' – ha! There was a joke! She went back to that house every other day just to see what was happening, and in the off chance some alien body-snatchers invaded and replaced her 'parents' with a pair of people who actually gave a flying fuck about the fifteen year old vagrant who was living in the abandoned house two blocks down, and who stole for all her necessities.

Stop kidding yourself, Lyn. That's never going to happen, and you know it. Hell, the only reason they haven't called the police to help them find her, is because she's not been gone long enough to make the whole thing into a dramatic fiasco. They can't make any money off her disappearance yet, so why should they care?

Her breath having slowed to a normal rate, and her heart no longer doing circles, the young woman zipped up her bag once more and crawled towards the makeshift shelter she had constructed in the backyard of a house that hasn't had an owner in almost twenty years. Everyone around knew someone was living here... it's just no one cared. Once under the somewhat protection of her tarp tent, she opened up her bag once more and took out one of the newspapers, ripping pages out and balling them into light spheres, placing them in the small fireplace she had made. She'd have to steal another box of matches pretty soon... but thankfully that wasn't something that was dire quite yet. Could probably go another week on the handful she had, as long as she was careful with their use. She'd gotten quite good at lighting a fire and keeping it going for a while, her little tent was shielded in almost every direction from the wind, and it was well-vented to prevent smoke build up. Even at fifteen, she was quite the little survivalist. Her little tent had a tarp floor, situated on a patch of dirt that was somewhat flat – a hole cut in the tarp and edged with stones for a fire pit. One match and a few seconds later, she had a nice little fire going to warm her in the chilly Florida winter.

With a sigh, she grabbed the back of her collar and pulled her shirt off over her head, hanging it on the rack she had built over the fire to dry her clothes. All this running and made her build up quite a sweat. She kicked her shoes off and discarded them – along with her torn socks – into a corner so she could find them later, then slipped out of her torn pants. Looks like she'd have to make another risky trip to the Walmart up the road and get some more pants... stealing from a big chain like that was always as risky as it was rewarding, and she had already done it multiple times... the trick was to sneak by in a large crowd... the damn greeter had a memory like an elephant, and had kicked her out once already. Larceny is hard.

She sat – naked as the day she was born – in her tent, legs pulled up to her chest as the comforting heat of the meager fire washed over her skin. This was her life, such as it was. Parents that didn't care for her, a society that shunned what she had to do to live, and being cursed with too much self-respect to commit suicide and get it the fuck over with. No, if the World wanted Lyndrys Pyre dead... it would have to earn it.

She didn't like stealing. It was the last thing she wanted to do. They were honest people trying to make a living, and the sad fact that she had to ruin their lives little by little just so she could survive tore her up inside... but deep down, humans will always strive to take care of Number One first. She'd repay them back some day... she just knew that one day, her life would turn around. She didn't want to be rich, she didn't want to be famous... she just... wanted to have a chance, and to give some other little boy or girl the chance she never had. On the inside, Lyndrys was a good girl at heart... a good girl in a bad situation.

 _A love for your fellow man, I do see in thy heart, girl. A vagabond you are in thy life... none shall miss thee._

Strange words entered her head as she sat dozing in place. She snapped awake and looked around, her guard raised as though someone had discovered her. After a thorough search, she discovered that... no... she was still alone in her little camp. Had she... imagined that voice? Was this it, then? The last shavings of sanity finally falling by the wayside, letting the insanity that she'd always harbored into her heart? Quick, check! She picked her head up and tried to think of some insane thought.

"I have a loving family!" She blurted out. Insane yes... but she didn't believe it. "...yeah right..." As she returned to her tent just as a gust of cold wind washed over her, extinguishing her little camp fire. She shivered against the cold, and as though the sun had been snuffed out, everything around her was ensorcelled in darkness.

-The Kingdom of Hyrule; The North Palace; Later that Night-

Link was surprised when the 'home' the woman spoke of was not a hovel on a dirt street, but instead the _palace_ of the king. It, of course, didn't take him long to put two-and-two together to figure out that the woman he had saved on the streets was of some import. "You do not look surprised." The woman spoke to him as they entered the castle's guest chambers.

"Yeah... I don't look it, but I am..."

"First..." The woman spoke, dropping her hood. "I would introduce myself... I am Princess Zelda." Now he looked surprised.

"Princess, I do apologize-" He started to bow, but a single hand from Zelda stopped him.

"No! Please, Link... I would have you treat me as an equal... for the task I must shoulder upon you is great. I was instructed by the Great Triforce to search for a hero who can save our lands from an encroaching darkness... It bid me search for a lad in green with a heart of shimmering gold... and it lead me to you." She strode over to the mantle over the fireplace. It was why she chose this room in particular. Reaching up, she removed the sword mounted above the fireplace. It was a fine blade, a straight edge of pure steel, and a hilt of interwoven silver and gold – red and green jewels set in the handle. She held it to Link. "This... was my Grandfather's sword. He left it to me with express instructions that I am to gift it to one who I believe can lead our kingdom to greatness..."

"Then, should it not go to your father, the king?"

"My father can show us the way... but he cannot create the path. I believe that you can create that path for us to follow... you have already shown that you have the heart of a hero... I would wish you to become that hero." Link reached a hand out towards the sword, but retracted it, uncertain.

"I... I don't know if I'm the kind of person you're looking for, Princess..."

"Nay... I know you are. Please... be the kingdom's guiding light." A vigor returning to his frame, Link took hold of the sword's handle and held it up.

"It's... heavier then it looks..."

"But it's weight suits you." She held her hand out, the blade's scabbard extended to him. "Come... I must commune once more with the Triforce... and I would have you at my side." Affixing the scabbard to his belt, he sheathed the blade and took her hand, following her to the castle's inner sanctum.

The light from the torches danced once more, seemingly brighter then when she was hear earlier in the afternoon, long shadows swaying from corner to corner, the hallway fluctuating between darkness and light in some strange duality that was both terrifying and beautiful all at once. Pushing open the doors once more, she and Link advanced upon the illustirous golden triangles once more. "They look... just like the legend says..." Link adjusted his hat. "I shouldn't be here..."

"Pray... stay. If you are to be the hero I know you are... you belong here more then I." The pair found their knees once more before the artifact, the object glowing a brilliant amber gold.

 _Thou hast found thy first Champion._

A voice echoed in both of their heads. Zelda nodded meekly. "I have, Great Triforce. He aided me when others would flee. His heart is of the purest gold known to man... I could ask for no better champion."

 _Pure heart or no, by his strength alone darkness cannot be vanquished. The Blades of Creation – the mightiest swords that can vanquish thy foes evermore – cannot alone be wielded by one of this realm. Even their child, the Master Sword, pales in comparison to the Blades. I hath found thy second Champion. Ready thy cloak, Princess, for she arrives anon._

"She?" Zelda managed out. The Triforce rose from the pedestal it sat upon and glowed brighter and brighter. As the glow reached an apex, a figure could be seen within the shimmering blindness. Raising a hand to shield his eyes, Link was unable to look away. It took Zelda no time at all to see that the girl arrived with no clothes on her back. Unclasping her cloak, Zelda prepared to dress the girl in something. The light died as the figure slowly sunk to the ground, the Princess wrapping her up in a warm cloak.

 _Seek ye the Blades of Creation – The Obsidian Destroyer's Blade, and the Alabaster Architect's Blade. They – and they alone – possess the power to vanquish the King of Darkness from your realm forever. Waste no time... thou hast little of it as is. Even now, the darkness grows from Spectacle Rock... I fear that we shall be ever too late already..._

As these words entered their heads, the triangles returned to their pedastal and dimmed.

 _I have one final gift for thee, and thy champions. To you – Hyrule's Chosen – I bequeath my Soul. May it ever give thee the Courage to face thy enemies head-on. To you – young Princess – I bequeath my Mind. May it e'r provide the Wisdom thou needst to face thy demons. And to our Guest – The Champion of the Veil – I bequeath my Body... so that e'r she hath the Power to crush Hyrule's enemies._

The Triforce glowed one more time, and when the glow faded, it was gone, a slight burning sensation had brought their attentions down to their left hand, on each was a visage of the Triforce, each with a different side glowing. Princess Zelda nodded and bowed once more. "Thank you, Great Triforce. I promise to use this gift to further only Hyrule's prosperity. You have my word." Zelda looked down at the unconscious woman in her arms. "...you have my word."

-The Kingdom of Hyrule; The North Palace-

Night fell across Hyrule, darkness claiming the realm and ushering all who called it home into a deep slumber. Princess Zelda had returned to her chambers to rest after the ordeal in Ruto, and Link had been granted a guest room, right next door to their guest. However... as one may expect... a certain party had woken late into the night... and confusion was forefront in her mind.

Bright amber eyes snapped awake in the otherwise pitch darkness, her vision slowly adapting to the lack of light as she scanned her surroundings. Sitting up, her short brown hair frizzed defiantly in the dry atmosphere. She rubbed her eyes and groaned. "I think... I drank too fast... did I have a heat stroke?" She pressed her hand to her forehead, then shook her head. "Fuck, I could never figure out how that works..." She throws the sheets off her body and plants her feet on cold stone. "EeeeeyyyyyyAAAAA!" She shrieks, her feet curling under her in protest. "Cold! And... is this stone?" Once more, she braves the naked floor and puts all her weight down. "S-s-shit..." She shivers in the cold wind. "It's fuggin' cold... did someone leave a window open?" Shuffling over to the only source of light in the room – a single round-topped window which looked out over the castle – she gazed out to the moon above. "Where am I?" She looks around in shock. "Am I... am I in a castle!?" Her gaze turns down, small figures moving in the courtyard. "I'm in a castle!" She pulls herself into the window. "I'm naked, and I'm in a castle... that water must have been laced with some hella rank hallucinogens." She shuffled towards the door, snatching the bedsheets up on the way out, throwing them around herself as a makeshift cloak. "Light switch, light switch... where is the lightswitch..."

After ten minutes of feeling along every inch of every wall she could, she finally gave up, unable to find a lightswitch. She felt defeated... she was unable to see, and had no clothes to work with... talk about being literally naked. Was the door locked?! Was she trapped here?! A quick cursory check of the door had lead her to discover that no... the door wasn't locked. "So, I'm not trapped here... and I'm in some kind of tower..." She hurried over to the window once more and looked down. Could she just... call out to one of the guys down there? Get them to help her out? Her question wouldn't need an answer, as just as she took a breath to shout down, the heavy wooden door clattered open, a gentle amber light spilling inside. Quickly dropping the bedsheet in favor of faster movement, Lyndrys ducked behind the bed, just enough to peek over. Entering the room was a maid – comically dressed in a similar french maid-like outfit – holding a candleabra in one hand and a platter of clothes in the other.

"Oh! It looks like you're awake." The woman spoke. She was older – mid to late thirties, if Lyndrys had to guess – but had a powerful aura of kindness about her. The woman went about the room and started putting fire to the candles that Lyndrys could now see dotting the room. "Well, don't be afraid, dear... can you understand me?"

"I'm not afraid..." Lyndrys mused. "I'm just cautious." Both hands gripping the bed, she pointed one finger at the clothes. "Those for me?"

"They are, dear... here." The maid placed the candlabra on the bedside table and sat the platter on the bed. "Let me help you-"

"I can dress myself..." Lyndrys muttered indignantly.

"Of course you can dear... but this is what I do for the Princess every day."

"Princess?" Lyndrys was interested now. "Did you fly my happy ass to England?"

"Fly? Oh, no darling." The maid had produced two sets of clothes – one intermingled with the other – and offered them on displace. "Would the lady like something a bit more formal..." She motioned to a _very_ frilly dress that Lyndrys had to suppress the urge to shout 'kill it with fire'. "Or perhaps something a little more around the town?"

"How about the one with jeans. Got any jeans in there?"

"Jeans? What... what are 'jeans'?"

"Jeans. You know. Blue jeans? Denims? Pants?" The maid shook her head.

"Mmm, I'm afraid I do not know what you speak of."

"You're kidding. You've never been to a walmart before? Big racks of them?"

"'Wal-Mart'? What is 'Walmart'?" She... she was kidding, right? She's... she's gotta be pulling Lyndrys' chain! There was no other reasonable explanation why she'd never heard of a Walmart! There were Walmarts everywhere! They grew faster then grass!

"Okay so... either you're serious, and you really don't know what a Walmart is... or you're jerking my chain, and this is some elaborate prank... either way I'm not impressed. Stop pulling my chain."

"Dear, I assure you I'm not pulling anything of yours... Look, my name is Impa, I'm Princess Zelda's nursemaid and keeper. What is your name?" Lyndrys squinted her eyes at Impa.

"My name is Lyndrys Pyre."

"Oh my! Two names! So very uncommon!" Impa smiled. "Well then, Lyndrys Pyre, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Please... just call me Lyndrys. I don't even know why I have a last name..."

"Yes, it is quite interesting..."

"Look okay... let's start from scratch, alright? Do you have underwear in there?" That was a good start. She'd worry about the jeans and Walmart thing later.

"Of course... but I'm sad to say I am uncertain how well they will fit you."

"Cross that bridge when we come it it. I'll start with that." Impa removed two pieces of cloth – resembling a bra and a pair of panties – and walked around the bed. "I can-"

"I am well aware. Come, stand. It's nothing I've not seen before." Impa had practically pulled Lyndrys from her crouched position. Lyndrys was fairly typical for a fifteen year old – her breasts were small and her body was typical of someone of her lifestyle – lean leg muscles and a thin, almost gaunt frame. Lyndrys fought almost as hard as Impa did, eventually giving up and letting the nursemaid dress her.

"...so humiliating..."

"Oh, stop it, dear. There's nothing humiliating about this." She laughed a little. "Oh, but you do so remind me of a younger Zelda... oh would she complain and fight me... I think she's happy to have another young lady in the castle... hoping I'll dote on another, and forget her. She can think that... but I have a very good memory." The woman smiled sharply, tying the cloth bow in the back of the bra. "There. It's maybe a bit large, but it will have to suffice for now." She was dressed in _something_ , so that was an improvement. The bra – as stated by Impa – was a bit too large for Lyndrys' otherwise smaller chest, but there was always room. She was, after all, a growing girl.

"So... Impa..." A thought came to Lyndrys as the nursemaid continued to look through the clothes to find a style for her.

"Mm?" She nudged her head up from her task, but didn't stop.

"Where am I?" She decided that – instead of bombarding the girl with things she potentially knew nothing about – she'd get all the information she could.

"You're in The North Palace – Hyrule Castle."

"Mkay." She nodded. "I haven't been out that long... you couldn't have taken me far... probably to the border at most. Hyrule's in what...? Georgia?"

"Georgia? Where is that?"

"You know, one of the United States." Impa's blank expression told her everything she needed to know, and a dread realization came over her. The blue eyes staring back at Lyndrys were not the eyes of someone playing a trick on her. This woman had no idea what Walmart, Georgia _or one of the largest countries in the world_ was! Lyndrys paled. "I need a map of the world."

"Well... I can get you a map of Hyrule..."

"Okay, I need someone can answer my questions!"

"Well, it was Princess Zelda who summoned you-"

"Get her!" The yelling was more from hysteria then anything else. Lyndrys was – understandably, of course – terrified at the rammifications of what was running through her head. She hadn't just been kidnapped... she'd been kidnapped... _through time!_ Or... something along those lines.

"Of course! Of course! Please, do await my return!" Impa scurried out of the room as quick as her legs could carry her. She had, of course, no cause to be worried about Lyndrys leaving. She would probably get lost the second she left the room... no way that was happening. Lyndrys paced nervously for ten minutes – still only in her underwear – waiting for Impa to return with this Princess Zelda. Her patience would be rewarded when Impa would return with a tired, but nonetheless regal Princess Zelda in tow.

"Hello, Lyndrys Pyre..." Zelda spoke with a bow. "I understand you have some questions for me?"

"Yeah... 'some'... that's good. First off... I want to know exactly what happened to me. One minute, I'm in my shitty little tent, about to have dinner, and the next minute, bam. I wake up in Butt-Fuck Nowhere, with a nursemaid trying to dress me... who has no idea what a Walmart is!"

"You are afraid-"

"I'm not afraid! I'm... freaked out! I don't know where I am... I don't know _when_ I am!" Zelda put a hand out to calm her.

"Please, Lyndrys Pyre..." Her voice was calm. "I understand the concern... please try to understand that we are not your enemies. We do not want to harm you."

"Well, if that's true, I need some answers."

"I will answer what I can."

"What year is it?" Lyndrys started with the obvious.

"It is the twenty third year of my father – the Fifth King's – rule."

"Okay, not helpful... What... okay, what continent is this?"

"Continent? Well, it is the kingdom of Hyrule..."

"Okay, we keep coming back to that. Do you have a map I could look at?"

 _Mayhap I could shed some light on thy confusion, Champion._

A voice filled everyone's head, Zelda looking down at her left arm. "Ah, Great Triforce... perhaps you can."

"Wait... I recognize that voice... that voice came to me just before I blacked out!" She started to look about, searching for the source of the voice. "Where are you, you pervert! If you did anything bad to me when I was out, I'm gonna force-feed you your own dick!"

 _Such fire I doth sense in thy heart. Good, it shall serve thee well, Champion of the Veil. I am called the Triforce... I am a force of creation – the hand of the Goddess' – and the source of the Hylian people's faith. A great darkness threatens the good people of Hyrule, and I hath reached through the Veil Between the Worlds to draw you into our realm._

"The... Veil Between the Worlds...?" Lyndrys echoed dryly.

 _In simplistic terms... the world thou knows... is a parallel world to mine own. Our worlds run in parallel, moving forward in tandem with one another... but they are not the same. They draw similarities, but stop at those similarities._

"Okay then... send me back. Put me back in my own world." What was she saying!? Go back!? To being a vagabond in her own home!? Sure, it wasn't a great life, but god dammit, it was her fucking life! And she wanted it back!

 _I cannot._

"What the fuck do you mean, 'you cannot'!? You pulled me here, didn't you! Put me back!"

 _I am afraid it simply does not work like that. In order to bring you here, I had to make a plea with the Goddess of Creation... a reason, if thou will, for my piercing of the Veil. Hyrule's need was great, so my incursion was warrented. I cannot simply 'put thou back', as it wouldst void my plea. If thou desirest to return, thou must work to return on thy own. Vanquish Hyrule's darkness, and mayhap you can return._

"So." She stood up, fighting back the tears that were threatening to spill out. "You kidnap me from my home – my fucking _reality_ – and give some lame-ass excuse why you can't put me back. And to add insult to injury, you tell me I can't go back unless I fight your damn war for you, and even _then_ it's a tentative maybe... and one more 'go fuck yourself' to tack on top of that, this damn maid is trying to stick me in a fucking _dress_! I don't! Do! Dresses!" She heaved, letting out all of her aggression.

 _I sense great anger within thee. Find an outlet for your rage, before it consumes thee._

"Alright, I will! Where the fuck are you, 'Triforce'?"

 _If thou lookest for me, all thou must do is see thy right hand._

Lyndrys looked at her right hand, palm open. Slowly turning it over, she spied to tattoo on the back of her hand, a trio of triangles with the top one glowing. She gave a dry laugh and shook her head. "Checkmate, Triforce... checkmate..." Princess Zelda advanced.

"Please, Lyndrys Pyre... you must rest. In the morrow, I promise to explain everything to you... but you need sleep."

"Fine fine..." Lyndrys grunted, waving away Zelda's concern. "I'll catch some sleep, but you better be willing to answer my questions."

"Of course, Lyndrys Pyre."

"And it's just Lyndrys!" Zelda nodded.

"Of course, Lyndrys. Please, sleep well, and we shall speak again in the morrow." Despite just waking from her lengthy coma, Lyndrys suddenly felt very tired... as though all the energy had been suddenly and inexplicably drained from her body. She didn't even bother trying to take off what Impa had managed to stuff her into... she just wanted to sleep and never wake up again. She put her head on the pillow and closed her eyes, her head immediately filled with all manner of images – both from her old life and from the speculation of what this new one would bring... both sets of images refreshing and disturbing.

She slept well into the morning, her body eventually waking up with the sun high in the sky, and a figure moving about the room. In the daylight – the flickering semi-light of candles gone – she could see a great many details that went unobserved the previous night – namely the rather vivid oil painting on the far wall, and the armoire near the window. She strained against her sleep-addled mind to remember what figure was messing about in the room she was in. It was the Princess' Nursemaid... Impa, if her memory served.

"Mmph..." She grumbled. "'elp you?"

"Ah! You're awake, my lady. I apologize if I woke you."

"Mm...nah..." She grunted. "Just kinda woke up on my own..." She stretched in bed, rubbing her eyes against the yawn forming. "So last night wasn't a horrible nightmare, then? This is really something that's happening?"

"Aye, it is. Did you want it to be a dream?"

"Kinda..." She muttered. "I mean... it certainly beats being a homeless bum but... pulled into a different reality? Do you blame me for being skeptical?"

"Of course not, my lady." Impa smiled. "Come, let us get you dressed and down for breakfast. Princess Zelda is excited to speak with you."

"I dunno why. I'm boring." Lyndrys got out of bed and shuddered at the cold stone floor once more. "Kill you to get a mat for the floor? Stone is cold, yo."

"I can certainly see about getting you a rug, my lady." Impa held up a bundle of clothes. "I spoke with Master Link this morning, and he suggested that if dresses weren't your clothing option of choice, then perhaps I should look at other genders... He suggested a simple black tunic for now, as well as a pair of very rugged traveling boots." Lyndrys really should have been mad that not only was she being dressed by someone when she should have outgrown that, but that a _man_ was picking her outfit out for her. This could only end one of two way. The tunic Impa provided turned out to be a shorter dress – the fringe of the tunic ending about midway down her thigh. Not terrible, and it certainly didn't feel like a dress. She was a bit disturbed that for the most part, she was exposed from the waist down (save for the tail of the Microskirt that was the fringe of the tunic)... but really she wasn't going to be going up any escalators or elevators anytime soon, so she could afford to just keep the panties on and call it golden. Once Impa had finished fighting Lyndrys tooth and nail into the tunic and boots (which despite not having any socks to go with, were very comfortable and ventilated), she stepped back and smiled. "There! Is that more to your liking?" Lyndrys pulled down on the fringes of the tunic, trying to pull it farther over her ass.

"Mmmph... It'll do, I suppose." She answered. About this point in time, Lyndrys was really, _really_ regretting taking her clothes off before being whisked away to a new reality. Though... having said _that_ , perhaps blending in wasn't such a bad thing. "Alright, I guess I'm as decent as I'll ever be for breakfast." Impa bowed to her once more.

"Very well, my lady! Please, follow me."

"And... could you stop calling me that? You can just call me Lyndrys."

"If that is your wish, Lady Lyndrys."

"No ju-" She stopped herself. Baby steps, Lyndrys. If you did that, she'd start calling you 'Just Lyndrys', and no one wanted to go down _that_ path. Lyndrys followed Impa in silence, trying to memorize the route to the room she was sleeping in. It was hard... the decoration in the castle was sparse at best, and what paintings that were hanging were small and simple, easy to loose in the shadows that were cast by flickering torchlight. Christ, whatever job they had for her here certainly beat being the poor son of a bitch who has to go torch by torch and light every single one every night. Talk about wetwork. Oooh, boots were so nice after touching the cold-ass stone floor... Lyndrys secretly thanked every god she knew about for the comfortable pair of leather boots she was gifted.

The dining room wasn't too awefully far from the room Lyndrys was placed in, a few short minute walk with only really three main turns before Impa pushed the door open to reveal a large, open room with a very high ceiling and a gold chandeleir hanging above a long, ornate table. Seated at the table were three figures – the first Lyndrys recognized from last night, the blonde-haired, blue eyed visage of Princess Zelda. The second – seated at the head of the table to Zelda's right was a portly, important looking man dressed very richly; a vibrant brown beard latched firmly to his face, and a gold crown placed prominently on his head.

"Your Majesty, may I present the Champion of the Veil, Lady Lyndrys Pyre."

"You can drop the 'Champion of the Veil' thing, really... I'm just a girl..." Lyndrys muttered. The third figure – a young boy with blonde hair and a green tunic of similar style – waved to her with a broad smile on his face. He was seated across from Zelda to the portly man's right.

"Lyndrys... please, allow me to introduce you to my father, King Harkinian of Hyrule-" Lyndrys gave a quick 'how-dee-doo' wave.

"Hey." The young man started laughing at this casual display.

"Hahaha! I like her already!" The portly man – the King – seemed to be also bemused by her rather casual introduction. "My dear, these are some interesting associates of yours. Is the girl aware she stands before royalty?"

"I must beg forgiveness, Father. She is... from an alternate reality. I'm afriad she is... uneducated in the royal family of Hyrule."

"Another reality you say? When you said the Triforce had a hand in her summoning, I thought she would have been brought from another land... not another reality. Truly, this is a blessing for Hyrule." He motioned Lyndrys forward. "Come, girl! Sit, eat with us!" Lyndrys slowly advanced, choosing to sit next to the young boy – clearly closer to her 'class' then the Princess.

"Hey you." The boy smiled, looking at her with a lazy smile. "Name's Link." He introduced himself. "I guess you and I are going to be... working together, I suppose? I don't know, I haven't really figured out _what_ we're going to be doing."

"All in good time, my boy!" The King responded. "When my daughter told me that she was looking into the rumors from the south, I did not believe for a moment it would amount to such measures. I am glad that I have such capable eyes looking into this issue, as I daresay my own eyes are turned elsewhere." Harkinian looked to Impa. "Impa, has the girl been armed yet?"

"No, Your Majesty. It was a chore enough to get her dressed this morning." Lyndrys' cheeks flashed red.

"Which I told you several times I was capable of myself..." Everyone laughed at her comment, Zelda cutely covering her mouth daintly.

"Ah, such fire I sense in this youth! Good, good! You shall need much vigor!" He turned once more to Impa. "While we finish breakfast, Impa, go to the armory and fetch me my sword. The girl must have a weapon." Sword? Seriously? Lyndrys had never handled a sword before in her life... how the hell was she just supposed to pick one up and save the world!? One step at a time... she had to try, it was the only way she was going home – scratch that, it was the only _chance_ she had of going home. Lyndrys looked down at the plate before her... and it was all she could do to contain herself from shoving the whole thing – plate, silverwear and napkin included – into her mouth in one go.

"Is there something the matter, Lyndrys?" Lyndrys looked up to Zelda with a sheepish look in her eye.

"All this talking is... really well and all but... can we eat? I've not eaten anything substantial in a few months..."

"Months!?" Link blurted out.

"My dear, girl, what have you done with your life!?" Harkinian looked shocked. "Please, eat! Do not let us stop you!"

It took control. A lot of control to eat like a person, and not shove her face into the plate and inhale everything at once. "Well..." She spoke between swallows. "If you won't judge me for it..." Another big bite of cooked venison and freshly baked bread. "...I've been reduced to stealing from convenience stores to survive..." She swallowed, then added in quickly: "Not much! I never steal more then I need! I'm... I'm not a bad person, I swear!" Harkinian nodded sagely.

"Well, my girl. As long as you are in service to the crown, I can promise you you'll never have to steal again. You are always welcome in my castle." The more she thought about it... the more she sat there – good food on her plate and decent company at the table – she began to think that this was more blessing then curse. Yeah, everything she knew was thrown out of whack, and she'll have to get used to this new reality but... could it have been for the best? The four of them ate breakfast with gusto, the King letting out a content sigh that was echoed by Lyndrys.

"Oh, that was soooo goooood..." She moaned. She reached for the goblet in front of her – having paid more attention to her food then drink, and took a grand slug of the liquid within. "Hk!" She gagged on the taste, and pulled away, managing to swallow what was in her mouth before coughing into her napkin. "Gaaaah, what is this?"

"The finest wine from the royal vineyards." Zelda mused. "Is it not to your liking?"

"Well... to be honest... I've never had wine before..." She chuckled. "I'm not even old enough to drink back home..."

"If I may..." Zelda came again, looking at her curiously. "How old are you?"

"Hehe..." Lyndrys chuckled. "I'm still a kid... only fifteen."

"What do you mean 'still a kid'?" Link grinned. "You're older then me."

"How old are you!?" Lyndrys blurted out.

"Fourteen." Lyndrys blinked slowly, choosing her words carefully.

"At what age is it commonly accepted that you are an adult?"

"Fourteen." Link answered simply.

"Damn... it's eighteen back home..." Harkinian laughed.

"Truly, your home land is full of mystery! I can only imagine what form of magic your people cultivate." She wouldn't get into this whole 'magic is a lie' thing and just store this conversation for later. The rest of breakfast passed rather quickly for Lyndrys, her stomach finally full for the first time in months. The wine – once she had gotten used to it's flavor – was actually very savory and dry, adding a beautiful cap onto her breakfast. Best part is, she felt like she was more awake then normal... the light – barely noticeable – buzzing of her head was both refreshing and fantastic feeling.

After breakfast, Zelda had called both Lyndrys and Link outside to discuss exactly what she wanted them to do. The rumors circulating was that something dark lurked within Spectacle Rock – deep within Death Mountain to the south. She would have transport provided to bring them to the far southern reaches of Hyrule – colloqually known as Hyrule Penninsula – and investigate the rumors surrounding Spectacle Rock and Death Mountain.

"Princess?" Impa interrupted near the end of Zelda's explanation, a sword in her arms. "Your father bade me provide this blade to Lady Lyndrys." Zelda nodded to the older woman and stepped aside, letting Impa affix the sword to her belt.

"Yeah, I'm going to let you do that... I wouldn't know how to do it if my life depended on it." She smiled as Impa put it just over her left hip. "Huh... how'd you know I was right handed?"

"How you held your fork at breakfast." She responded after finishing her task. "Master Link held his with his left, you held it with your right." She nodded gently. "I've been doing this a long time, Lady Lyndrys."

"Remind me not to question you again."

"So, question I have to get out." Link mused, both hands behind his head. "You ever used a sword before?"

"I'm... sad to admit no. They're... not common back home." She felt drew the blade, and felt it's weight in her hand, giving it a slow, test swing. "...heavier then it looks."

"Not common? What kind of world do you live in where you don't have swords?" Lyndrys gave it an awkward flip in her hand, then smiled to him.

"I said they weren't common. We have them..."

"On the way over, what do you say I give you a cursory lesson, eh? Just a little training with the thing."

"That would be great, actually... I don't think this is something I can just figure out on my own."

"Well, I suppose it is, if you've got the time to devote to teaching yourself..." Impa cut into Link's sentence.

"...which need I remind you we've not."

"Yeah, exactly. So I'll drill you on the boat over. We've got a few days, it should be enough time for you to learn the basics, we can refine those on some of the wildlife."

"That's legal?" Lyndrys responded, a shocked tone in her voice.

"Of course. Most of the wildlife in the southern portion of Hyrule reproduce at an uncontrollable rate, so we've basically got carte blanch to kill them on sight. The simple-minded ones will help you learn, and the more intelligent ones will make good sparring partners when you're feeling comfortable." Zelda nodded to them both, a carriage appearing through the gate – it's driver a gruff looking man with shaggy black hair.

"I urge you both to continue your talks on the road, but remain vigilant. The road to Mido is fraught with danger."

"When isn't it?" Link wagged his eyebrows at her. "Alright, we'll head out, Princess. In the meantime, I want you to help your father as much as you can. With the two of us away... Hyrule's security is in your hands." Zelda bowed to him as he heaved himself up onto the carriage.

"Of course. And please... be safe in your travels." Link reached down to help Lyndrys up, the girl more concentrated on keeping her tunic down over her rear.

"...how do you function in these things...?"

"Easy. You stop caring. C'mon, hop up." She pushed off and Link finished pulling her up. "See? Easy." No matter how much he said it... Lyndrys didn't think she would ever get used to wearing this stupid thing.


	2. One: Southern Hyrule

Chapter One: Southern Hyrule

"Again!" Link called, prompting Lyndrys to let fly another powerful blow with the wooden sword the pair had been training with. He brought his own sword up to defend, but found the powerful strike that Lyndrys had delivered nearly disarmed him. "Ow...!" He swapped the sword over to his right hand and shook out his left. "You're getting good... To think you've gotten just about on par with me in two weeks..."

"Well, there's nothing else to do on this ship." Lyndrys shrugged. "And it was a week and a half, because I spent the first three days puking my guts up over the side." Link laughed at the girl's misfortune, remembering all too clearly her pleads for him to put her out of her misery. "It's a good thing I adapted... Can't imagine spending the whole trip like that..."

"Well, we did have some squalls first few days, so I don't blame you. I was pretty green myself the first day, remember?" He dropped the barrel lid he was using for an impromptu shield and leaned against the banister of the ship, leaning his head back to drink deep of the scent of the sea air. "It's liberating, isn't it? To be on the open ocean?" Lyndrys put her own wooden sword and barrel lid on the ground and advanced on the edge of the ship, looking out to the crystal clear waters which seemed to stretch forever. She closed her eyes and focused on the sound of the rolling sea, and the smell of salt in the air. She'd lived on a penninsula her whole life – no more then a two hour drive from the beach – but even she hadn't actually ever _seen_ the ocean. Not first hand anyway.

"It's a lot prettier then the pictures, that's for sure." She answered with a nod. She looked over to the young man she was sharing this responsibility with, looking him over. It was impossible to guess he was _younger_ then she was... his stance, his posture, his voice... they were all hallmarks of a much older man... or maybe it was her? Maybe she was the immature one? It was hard to tell right now. She turned around to lean on it like he was, her eyes glaring up the tall mast in the center of the ship, the sail billowing out as the wind carried them to their destination.

"Land ahead!" A voice called form the crow's nest above the mast. "Beach, captain!" From the back of the ship, where the wheel and most of the crew labored, came a tall, imposing man striding onto the foredeck. His appearance was more of a pirate – with a thick, black beard and a heavy frock coat which flapped gently in the stiff wind. He held a cane in one hand and rested the other on his hip idly.

"Aye, lad, I see it." He spoke with a simple, gentle tone, yet it was clear that he could be heard even from such a distance away. "You must be th' pair'a folk what be goin' ashore." Link nodded.

"Yes, Captain." Link nodded. "I want to thank you for your generosity.."

"Think nothin' of it, lad. We be settin' off for other lands after this, anyway. We're gonna be lettin' ya off on a dhingy, th' shore be too rocky for me ship to get too close."

"I understand." Link nodded. The tall man looked to Lyndrys rather closely, his cold blue eyes seeming to pierce into her soul.

"Th' sooner we have th' lass 'ere off, th' better me boys'll be. Women ain't nothin' but trouble on th' sea." They'd been down this road before, and Lyndrys had vague memories that seafaring men in her reality held a similar superstition in times long past. They'd already had an all-out shout fest about it – Lyndrys stating that he should be more respectful of people, and the Captain flat telling her that the girl didn't know what she was talking about. It would appear that Lyndrys had a way to go before any woman – let alone herself – got any respect. Link saw her as an equal – which was a plus – and Zelda seemed to think rather highly of her... but then again, being a woman herself didn't really account for much.

"You're all still in one piece so... how bad luck can I really be?"

"Aye, ya say that now, lass... but trouble can hit anytime." He turned away. "Prepare a dinghy for our guests! Taryn, see to it they get to shore!"

"Yes, captain!" A portly man answered with a nod. He began to operate a winch, which lowered one of the ship's four small rowboats into the water below, then hooked a rope ladder to the side and rolled it off into the boat so they could all climb down.

"There will be another ship around in a week's time to return you both to the palace. I only ask ye not miss it, otherwise it be a two month cross-country trek on foot, and ye not have th' provisions for such a slog. They'll pick you up right were Taryn's be droppin' you off." Link was already halfway over the side when the captain was barking instructions to them, and not-so-friendly warnings.

"Work up my sea legs only to be tossed back onto land..." Lyndrys mumbled as she struggled over the side of the ship, Link helping her over. "Just watch, we'll be there long enough for me to lose them, and the trip back is going to be hell." Her counterpart laughed at her rant, patting her back.

"Don't worry so much, Lyndrys. I'm sure everything'll be peachy. We'll be done well before that happens, and back home before you know it."

"You'll be home. Knowing my luck, I'll still be stuck here." He didn't answer, just smiled and took a seat in the boat as it was cast to the sea below. Lyndrys could see the beach from where they were – barely visible on the horizon, covered by a dainty layer of seafog – calling to them like some mythical siren.

"Okay, so you've been doing really good in your training, there's just one thing I need to appraise you of."

"What's that?'

"Any fight we get in... they won't care about form or fair. We get into a fight, it's a fight to the death."

"I know." Lyndrys nodded firmly. "I don't plan on dying anytime soon."

"Good! Stick to what you learned, and you should be fine."

"Is there anything I should know about this place?" Link thought for a moment.

"Southern Hyrule is a pretty rough place, very feral. A few hermits and independent shops that have made their homes here, but aside from that it's all wild forest and mountains."

"And this mountain we're supposed to go to... does it... deserve it's name?"

"Death Mountain? Before King Harkinian's dynasty took over, Death Mountain was a sight of ritualistic sacrifice by the local Garudo and Zora populations. The first King of Hyrule established a very tentative pact with both tribes, stating that we basically allow them to do their thing, under the condition they don't abduct Hylians for their rituals. Basically if we don't run afoul of either of them, we should be good." Lyndrys blinked, liking that descriptor less and less.

"So... exactly how easy would it be for us to 'run afoul' of either of them?"

"Stupidly, stupidly simple." She liked _this_ even less.

"Great..."

"Aaaaah, don't sweat it. As long as we don't go swimming, or spend to long in any desert, we should be fine." This was a small bit of comfort to Lyndrys, yet she still had a burning feeling that it wouldn't be quite as simple as Link had put it.

Their boat trip would last almost two hours before they were within range to be dropped off, the salty sailor beaching the boat to let the pair off. He bade them a farewell as he was casting the rowboat once more into the sea to make the return trip. Link and Lyndrys stood on the beach, watching him make his slow way back to the safety of the larger boat before Link's voice broke the silence. "Well." He stood up just a bit straighter and puffed his chest out. "Shall we? Death Mountain is still probably half a day's walk from here."

"Can't we catch a cab?" Link simply blinked at her perceived joke. "I'm kidding. You don't even know what a cab is." The pair turned west and started to make their way towards Death Mountain and Spectacle Rock. The penninsula was sparsely treed, comprising of mostly rock and sand – the occasional bush dotting the landscape. "S'awfully free of shade... how do people live here?"

"It's easier then one might be lead to believe. Most carve livings out of caves in the rock or beneath the rootbed of trees."

"How do you make a home under a tree?" Link got a chuckle out of the contorted face Lyndrys made at this comment, shaking his head gently.

"It's easier then one might be lead to believe." He echoed sarcastically. He flicked his head towards her. "Surely you have similar magicks as your disposal in your reality."

"The closest thing we have to magic where I'm from is called 'Walmart', and it's both the most holy of magics, and the blackest of curses." This description caused Link to erupt into a cackle at the thought of something being both a holy magic and a curse.

"Yes, Impa spoke of your ramblings of a 'Walmart' at breakfast before we left. Tell me, what is it?"

"Including or excluding a disease to be purged?" A single look from Link answered her question. She sighed and settled in for a description. "Walmart is like this... you have stores, right?"

"Of course."

"Of course... Walmart is a store... except they sell almost everything you could ever want or need in your life, all the while _draining your vitality through fake happiness, overpowering consumerism and good, old fashioned blood magic._ "

"I can't tell if you're jesting or not."

"Not really. It's a kind of place that... well, everyone goes there. Everyone. So many people, in fact, that they seem to forget they're people... and just strive to be as massive assholes as possible..." He blinked at her description, seeming to absorb everything Lyndrys was saying.

The Twin Heroes continued their walk north towards Death Mountain, Lyndrys finding holding her traction on so much sand to be a chore. Link's previous statement about the wildlife proved to be true. Of the creatures they had run afoul of on their long walk north were strange octopus-looking creatures with big eyes and a mouth that would make anyone gunshy around a fleshlight. "Link... d'fuck is that?" Lyndrys mused, pointing at the octopus. "Looks like someone forgot their a damn fish."

"Ah. An Octorok." he mused. "They're land-based creatures that consume rocks, then spit them back out as a defense mechanism. They're not too tricky, once you learn they puff up before spitting. The rocks hurt, but not what I'd call threatening. Keep your shield handy, it's not just for looks, you know." Lyndrys clumsily drew her sword and shield – the mark of a woman who has done so infrequently – and advanced on the small creature – no bigger then a large dog. It noticed her from a long way off, their eyes meeting as she studied her prey. One step at a time... one step at a-

As her foot fell once more, the beast's impressive head puffed up, it's eyes bulging slightly. Reacting more then acting, Lydnrys brought the heavy steel shield up, which was shortly echoed by a heavy strike against it, the entire impliment bucking backwards with the force. "S-shit!" The hit broke her block, causing her to drop her shield for a moment. The beast puffed up once more, and her right arm swung into action. Almost as if operating by itself, her arm lashed out an slashed the rock upwards with the sword blade, splitting the projectile into two harmless halfs.

Hopping quickly away, she barely managed to dodge a third projectile that went wide. With her shield arm returned to some semblance of use, she brought it up once more, the fourth and fifth projectiles slamming harmlessly into the steel barrier. She anticipated the strength of the blow this time, her form remaining unbroken as she advanced on the creature. She timed her strike, counting the seconds between each rock, noting it was exactly four seconds between each hit against the shield. It was just a matter of time before she could-

 _Wham!_ The shield bucked from the impact once more and Lyndrys instantly launched into her attack. Coming off as nothing more then forcibly dropping the blade downward, the edge found it's mark and struck true, the steel biting deep into the Octorok's rubbery hide and eventually piercing it. Giving a moan, the creature slumped down into a messy pool of it's own ink and blood, it's body going still.

"Good strike!" Link spoke abruptly behind me. "Far from perfect, it's true... but I can see you've got the potential there, so that's a plus."

"I... I did it?" Lyndrys droned in a state of disbelief.

"Aye, that you did! How'd it feel?"

"Like I'm about to become Target One on PETA's shit list... but other then that... good... no, great. Like I might actually survive here." His hand came down firmly on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Lyndrys. Like I said, you've got potential. A little work here and there, and you might actually have the potential to be better then me."

That night found Lyndrys and Link staring up at the imposing facade of the mountain known as 'Death Mountain'. Lyndrys swallowed hard as she struggled to find her voice. "So... this is Death Mountain, huh?" Link nodded.

"'Tis. Keep your wits about you... there's a reason people don't venture into Death Mountain these days."

"Do they decorate for Christmas in November too?" Link chuckled, despite his complete ignorance of the reference. "Sorry, jokes are how I deal with the very real possibility I might die." She felt Link's hand on her back.

"Don't think of things like that. The only people who die... are those who believe they will." The look in his eyes was pure confidence, spiced with a healthy amount of determination. She tried to believe him... but something in the back of her head still nagged. She closed her eyes and took a slow, deep, cleansing breath to banish the thoughts of doom and gloom. She held it for a few seconds before slowly letting it out and nodding to Link.

"Alright. I'm about as ready as I'll ever be."

"Good!" Link punctuated the sentence by drawing his blade, the steel weapon grinding against it's scabbard as it gasped to life. "Then let us cleanse this land of evil, once and for all!" Lifting his shield to his chest, he slowly advanced upon the gaping entrance to Death Mountain, the towering behemoth of a mountain looming ominously above him. Lyndrys followed suit, her sword coming from it's scabbard and her shield raising to protect her. As she moved farther into the cave entrance, the black abyss that greeted her began to fade, replaced by faint images of stonework walls – rough hewn walls slowly giving way to shaped brickwork – the farther in she advanced. Link was always just ahead of her, his head slowly looking about. Several meters into the cave, the floor dipped into stairs – the gentle glow of dim torches providing a meager wash of dim red-orange light – as their leather boots fell silently upon the stone stairs.

"Torches?" Lyndrys muttered. "And shaped stone bricks...?"

"Aye... this is no natural cave formation." Link echoed her thoughts as the pair continued down. The stairs stretched on for seeming forever as they descended into the Earth, the glow of the torches seeming to dim the farther down they got. Lyndrys couldn't tell if it was because the torches themselves were getting dimmer, or if the blanket of darkness which had surrounded them was getting thicker. Reason aside, it could be no doubt that the farther the pair descended, the darker everything became.

After moments, the stairs finally leveled out and came to an abrupt stop by a large stone door, carved with many runes and symbols both powerful and ancient. "The Stone Seal..." Link swallowed.

"The whatnow?" Lyndrys asked, looking him over.

"The Stone Seal. Centuries ago, when Hyrule was first invaded by the Wizard King, the most powerful mages of the time gathered at Death Mountain to seal evil away within the heart of the earth. They cast a powerful sleep spell upon the Wizard King and sealed him inside Death Mountain behind the Stone Seal..." He placed his shield hand upon the cold stonework, his finger tracing a crack. "I didn't think it was real... The seal's been damaged..."

"What... does that mean?" Lyndrys found herself asking the obvious.

"It means the Wizard King wakes once more." Link steeled himself and pushed on the heavy stone door, the blockade moving with surprising ease, grinding audibly against the ground. A pure amber light spilled through the door as it opened, showcasing the room which was on the other side. It looked very much like a throne room, a long room with pillars stretching to the ceiling and a lush, plush red carpet running the whole length of the room from the door Link and Lyndrys now stand at, all the way to the elaborate stone chair which dominated the back end of the room. The pair stepped in, more and more torches flickering to life, bringing a brighter and brighter glow to the seemingly endless room.

"Aaaaahhh..." An airy, deep voice groaned as the torches finally finished lighting. Seated in the elaborate stone chair was a massive, heavy-set figure of a pig-like creature. He was tall and rotund, his clothing looking very much to Lyndrys as something out of a D&D villain. He was dressed in all black, his ample stomach hidden behind an obsidian tunic and his legs attired in a long black dress. A black cloak with a red liner was pinned to the shoulders of his tunic, and resting at his side was a long trident, at least thrice the length of either Lyndrys or Link. The pig-faced creature stood and collected himself. "I was beginning to wonder when my return would be noticed." He spoke well for a bipedal pig, his tone deep and imposing as his three fingered hand wrapped about the trident at his side.

"Who are you?" Link asked strongly, bringing his shield up and his sword beside it. Lyndrys found her question considerably less heroic.

"D-d'fuck are you!?" She stammered, taken back by his pig-like appearance. The creature laughed, throwing his head back and letting out a deep, booming guffaw.

"It would appear... as though Hyrule has long forgotten me..." He shook his head dismally. "Well, we'll remedy that problem shortly, shan't we?" He threw his hands to the side, flinging his cloak fully over his back. "I am the Dark King, Ganon! The Terror of the Sands, the Beast Beneath the Mountain! Look upon me, foolish mortals, and _despair!_ " He paused, almost as if waiting for something. "...is what I want to say." He gave a deep sigh. "I'm afraid, my powers have waned as I slumbered, and I can no longer stand against heroes such as you." A smile came to his face. "...is what you want me to say. Unfortunately for you, I have found a way to regain my lost powers!" The head of his trident glowed a fierce red as he spun it around, slamming it into the ground. The stone beneath their feet trembled as a powerful magic coursed through the room. "In my years of isolation, I have discovered a way to restore my lost power! I simply need-" In a brilliant flash of light, a glowing crystal appeared in the center of the room, an all-too familiar figure trapped within. "-an eager volunteer." Link recognized the figure.

"Princess!" Alas, it was Princess Zelda herself who was trapped within the crystal.

"Heroes, eh? You think you're so special, what with your gifts and your skill. But you're overlooking one very important detail! You're gifts... can just as easily be stripped!" He thrust his hand through the crystal and grappled Zelda, the girl barely gasping in surprise. Drawing his trident close to her, he sneered. "Now then, Princess... why don't you hand over that beautiful piece of the Triforce..." She shriked in pain as a searing red-hot flame engulphed her whole body.

"Zelda!" Link broke into a sprint to save her, but ran face-first into an invisible wall. "G-gah!" He stumbled backwards and fell to his rear, sword spilling out of his hand.

"Foolish boy! I may be weak, but I can still use magic! Just sit tight, and I'll get to you when I'm done!" The glow around Zelda's body brightened as her screaming intensified. Suddenly, the glow ceased along with the screaming. "...what's this?" Ganon looked surprised, studying his captive. "You..." His eyes flared in anger. "How could I be so foolish!? You're not Zelda!" A smile came to her lips as she hung there in pain.

"How... nice of you to notice... Demon King." She choked out. "You'll... not get any piece of the Triforce... not so long as Link... and Lyndrys live..." Lyndrys couldn't understand it... the woman in his hand looked exactly like Zelda when they left... though he said she was not?

"You're not Zelda... you're not a princess... you're just an... _orphan girl!_ Useless to me!" In a fury, his fist closed around her body, the sound of crushing bones met with the chorus of her pained scream, a spray of crimson fluttered out of her agape mouth, splattering her pink dress and the alabaster stonework. Her shriek lasted for only a short few seconds before being cut mercifully short as her body went limp in his hand. "Gah!" He growled, throwing her body to the ground in fury.

"Zelda!" Link shouted once more, running to her. Lyndrys could tell, even from here, that she was dead. Her mangled body, the crimson blood that drenched her from the neck down... there could be no doubt.

"The damned Triforce beat me again! Gave his Mind to a puppet! It knew... _it knew_ I couldn't take it from a damn _imposter!_ Damn it, damn it, _damn it!_ " He seemed to be swearing at himself, his fist slamming angrily into the stone columns. He paused for a moment, his eyes falling on Lyndrys. "Or... maybe this could work out for me..." A dark chuckle came from his lips. "Yes... yes, I can see it in your eyes..."

"Ly-" Link tried to speak, but a motion from Ganon found him shoved into the side wall from some unseen force, a ring of blue flame circling him.

"Wait your turn, boy. The lady and I are speaking." Lyndrys couldn't hide her shaking form as the towering figure of Ganon advanced on her. He set his trident down and came over to her, a different look upon his visage. "Lyndrys... is your name?" She said nothing, simply tightening her stance and taking an uncertain step backwards. "Come now, my dear. There's no need for that. You and I... we can be _friends_... if you want." Ganon took a knee before her, the cloak falling over his shoulders and draping over him, to make him appear as a pig-faced black mass. "I can see the threads of everyone's fate... except yours... yours eludes me..." He smiled something Lyndrys though was supposed to be friendly. "You're not from Hyrule... are you?" A massive hand moved her short brown locks to the side, his talon cold against her cheek. He smiled as he could see her ears. "Of course you're not... you're _human_ , aren't you? Human and Hylian... so similar... yet two very different species." He moved his hand back. "You don't belong here, sweet Lyndrys. Your home is across the Veil, isn't it? So far away, yet so close. Unreachable." She siezed up, unable to get her heart out of her throat. He was _huge_ , and the way he just... _killed_ Princess Zelda like that? That could have been hear... crushed like a soda can. Her trembling was minute, but noticable for the massive figure of Ganon. "I can send you home." Those five words quieted the trembling in Lyndrys' heart, and caused her to loosen her stance. "I have the power to pierce the Veil, and send you right back to mommy and daddy." He grinned a toothy grin.

"Ah... but your parents... an interesting subject." He stood and opened his cloak, the red lining seeming to morph into a swirling mass of light and shadow, coalescing into a portal of some kind, images of her meager tent in the back yard of an abandoned house. "It's been two weeks, hasn't it? Mother and Father are very worried about their little girl." The image changed to her parents – a short brown-haired man and a taller blonde woman holding one another and talking to a man in front of a camera. "I can send you home, Lyndrys... but more then that, I can give you the life you've always longed for. Loving parents... a place where you're accepted..." He motioned to the portal as the image changed. It was the inside of her parent's house, the bone-white carpet and interior something she was used to. What she _wasn't_ used to, was all the pictures hanging on the walls. She remembered that her father always hung pictures of his 'glory days' of football when he was growing up, and as she watched, the football pictures and the memorabilia that she remembered turned to pictures of _them_... all three of them. Mother, father, and daughter. Lyndrys was smiling in one picture – her grin marred by a single missing tooth as she held a dollar bill in her hand. Another was of her and her father on a boat as he helped her reel in a big fish. And the third?

The third and final picture Ganon showed her was of her parents holding her when she was a newborn, the small sign under the picture reading 'Our Darling Daughter'. She watched these pictures, as Ganon weaved a new reality for her... created years of love and affection she's been denied. "I can give you all of this, Lyndrys. I can send you home into the arms of your now-loving parents. I can give you the life you've always wanted... always been denied." Hot, salty tears pooled in her eyes and rolled over her cheeks as she watched an image of herself – still dressed in the black tunic – run into the waiting arms of her mother and father as they cried, rejoicing at her return.

Her heart _burned_... ached for this to become true reality. Every fiber of her body struggled to contain the agreement... to give the pig-man whatever the hell he wanted for this. "Lyndrys!" Link's voice pierced her revery. "He's lying to you! He'll take the Triforce and just kill you!"

" _I said the lady and I were talking!_ " Ganon barked, waving his hand to stifle Link's words, the young boy starting to choke on some invisible ligature. "Don't listen to the _boy_ , my dear. He doesn't understand what he's saying. Under normal circumstances, he would be right. But... killing you my dear is... too much work. If I could simply send you home... all the better for us both, yes? You keep your life and return home... I get what I want. Really, no one looses." Lyndrys' gaze returns to the portal, watching scenes of her and her parents enjoying each other's company, going out to eat and even visiting a theme park. There was no way that Ganon could know all this... he had the ability to change _reality_...

"I..." Lyndrys choked out. "I want that..."

"I know you do, my dear... I know you want nothing more then to return. And I promise you... all you have to do is hand over your piece of the Triforce. That's it. They'll be no pain... no strife. Just a quick motion... and home you go." He held out his other hand. "Put your hand in mine, and give me the Triforce... and off you go." The sword and shield clattered out of her hands to the floor, her eyes locked with the portal, watching as her mother held her in her arms in a longing embrace, kissing her forehead over and over again. Her right hand reached out, the image of the Triforce glowing the closer it got to Ganon's hand.

"I just... give you this... and that's it?"

"That's it." Ganon echoed with a nod. Still... she hesitated. "Lyndrys my dear... it's not your fight. They... ripped you out of your life! They stole you from your _reality_ to fight _their_ fight! They're not your allies! They're not your _friends_! They're thieves! All of them! And you can help me rid the Multiverse of their _taint_. All I need is your cooperation. You and I... we'll be the best of friends." She got closer with his words, her hand hovering inches from his... she could have it... she could go home and be loved for once. She can go home, and never have to think about this again. She looked over to Link who was staring at her with pleading eyes.

"You're right." She finally spoke. "It's not my fight." She nodded, smiling. "They took me from my home... made me fight their battle... because they're too weak to fight themselves. I... I want to go home." Her muscles twitched to set her hand in his... but then her eyes fell on _her_ once more... her mangled body, her face contorted in pain as she relived her last moments for all eternity. She can't explain it... nor did she think she wanted a reason... but after looking at Zelda's lifeless body, she ripped her hand away. "N-no..." She stumbled backwards, her hands on her head. "She... she trusted me... gave her life because... because she trusted me... because she knew I-"

"Lyndrys, dear... you're a victim here. Don't listen to the words of your captors. Don't pay them any mind." He chuckled. "Look... if I truly wanted you dead... you would be dead already. I just want what you want. Freedom." Her hand reached out slowly once more with his words, ready to give it all up. Then... seconds later... something in her head snapped.

" _NO!_ " She found herself shouting, dropping down to pick up the sword, she gave a wild, uncontrolled swing of the razor-sharp blade, which sliced effortlessly through Ganon's outstretched hand.

" _Graaaaaa-aaaaahhh!_ " The Wizard King bellowed in rage and pain, retracting his bleeding stub of an arm. " _You fool!_ " He barked, the portal vanishing as he nursed his sliced hand. Link dropped to his feet, gasping for air as the ring of fire vanished. "I offered you the world! Everything you've ever wanted! And you spit in my face! It may have been easier to send you home, but now I think I'll just _kill you and get it over with!_ " Lyndrys' face was streaming with tears as the realization of what she just threw away set in. Both her knuckles were white-hot on the handle of the sword. Link charged to her aid, blade drawn and shield at the read before another wild swing from Lyndrys collided with Ganon's trident, knocking it from his hand. "Rrrgggh! Bitch!" He shouted. Link launched his own attack, the tip of the blade barely grazing his rotund belly. "Grrah! Fine! I know when I'm outnumbered! If you wish to finish this, meet me to the West, in the Fields of Flame! There, we'll finish this!" With a flick of his good wrist, his trident returned, the pig pulling his cloak over his body and vanishing in a puff of acrid black smoke.

With the object of her hate, aggression and rage gone, Lyndrys settled to wail pathetically, and throw her sword into a random corner of the room with an enraged shriek. Loosing all will to continue living, Lyndrys collapsed to the ground, her kness giving out as she covered her head with both hands and sobbed into her palms, unable to believe what she just discarded.

"Lyndrys!" Link ran to her, a hand on her back.

" _Get off of me! Leave me alone!_ " She wailed, shoving him back and to his own ass. " _Don't touch me!_ " She continued, her bloodshot eyes boring holes into him as she shouted, her hoarse voice echoing off the cobblestone walls. Undeterred, Link scrambled back to his feet and rushed to her, dropping to his knees and wrapping her up in a hug from the back. She answered by shrieking and flailing again, but eventually even that stopped. Unable to shake the boy from her back, she settled on just crying and wailing about her own ignorance and stupidity.

Minutes stretched into almost an hour before her crying died down to a pathetic whimper. "...link...?" She finally spoke.

"Mm?"

"...tell me i did the right thing..." She mewled pathetically, her eyes still downcast.

"There was no right answer, Lyndrys. Honestly? If wouldn't have blamed you if you had taken it. You did right by Hyrule, Zelda and myself... but you didn't by yourself. Do you know what that's called?" She grunted. "That's called being a true hero. Sacrificing your own happiness for others. If you would have given him the Triforce... well... I think we'd start seeing 'Walmarts' springing up here." Lyndrys gave a self-depreciating, dark chuckle. She wiped her eyes.

"Yeah..." Her voice was hoarse and tired as she stood, Link finally letting her go. "...thanks... you know, for helping." Link nodded to her.

"Hey. We're partners. That's what partners do." He grimly turned to the corpse of the woman just a ways away. "Speaking of... help me with her?" Lyndrys nodded, sheathed her sword and collected her shield. She didn't relish the idea of having to carry Zelda's body all the way back to Hyrule Castle but... she couldn't just be left rotting on the floor of some God forsaken crypt. Lyndrys dipped down, something instantly catching her eye. Her left hand was clenched tight, almost as if holding something. Fighting with rigor mortis, she finally managed to pry the woman's cold fingers open to find a crumpled piece of parchment there.

"Hey, Link... she had a note of some kind..." She instantly opened it, looking it over. "...check this out..." She cleared her throat. "'Link, Lyndrys. If you're reading this, then I am dead. I knew from the moment you left that Ganon would come for me... and I knew that if he did, I would perish. There is a secret you must know about the Royal Family. My birth name is not Zelda, but Annabelle. I was born in the Town of Saria. My mother parished shortly after my birth, leaving me orphaned. I was taken in by the King of Hyrule as a...'" Lyndrys paused. "'...as a fill in for the true Princess Zelda, who has been placed into a magical slumber...'" Lyndrys blinked at this. "'...When you return to the castle, tell the King of my fate, and that my dying wish is that he tell you the full truth behind the Princess' fate. Take the amulet from my body and pray to Farore to carry you to Hyrule Castle on winds only a goddess can muster. Link... Lyndrys... I know that Hyrule will be saved under your stewardship. Please... rescue the true Princess Zelda, and restore peace to Hyrule. Do not weep for my death, as I, like you, have a part to play. My part has come to an end. 'Princess Zelda'.'" She read it over once more to herself.

"Not really Princess Zelda...? I... had heard rumors of Zelda being ensorcelled by some black magic but... with Zelda – I mean Annabelle – being so active in the community, I always thought them rumor..."

"Guess they're not. I hate looting the dead, but grab the amulet and her body. We'll see if we can't at least get her a proper burial when we get back." Link nodded to her and rolled her body over, gently taking the beautiful blood-stained emerald pendant from her neck before handing it to Lyndrys. "...oh sure, hand me the bloody necklace..." She grumbled, folding the note into a small square and running her hand down her leg, sighing at the useless motion. "...dammit, I keep forgettting no pockets!" Opening the small leather satchel at her side, she found a place for the note. She held the bloody amulet by the chain as Link picked up Annabelle's body. "So, who's Farore?"

"The Goddesses of Favorable Winds." He answered with a groan. "Worshiped by ship captains and generals... anywhere where one might need navigation or guidance. Make a prayer and see us home."

"I'm not religious, man, I can't make prayers."

"Just... just do something. I'm sure it'll be fine." Lyndrys had played more then one game when she was younger, most of which revolving around magic and the like, so while it felt odd for her to be using something that looked like magic... she wasn't foreign to it. Holding the amulet up she cleared her throat.

"Uh... Goddess of Winds, I... uh... ask...? No, beseech? Yeah, that's good. Goddess of Winds, I beseech you to... uhm... take... us home?" She shook her head. "I sound stupid."

"You have to have more confidence, or she won't listen." Lyndrys rolled her eyes, feeling very nerdy, and extremely foolish talking to someone who she couldn't see... if they were even there at all.

"Fine fine fine." She responded, tightening her stance and clearing her throat, the amulet raised just a bit higher. "Goddess of Winds, I humbly beseech you to whisk us to Hyrule Castle. The fate of the realm demands haste, and we ask you in this most dire hour to bring us back to the light!" A chill wind blew through the dungeon as Lyndrys finished her words, most of the torches being snuffed out by the gout of wind.

"That was good." Link mused, nodding as the wind circled them both, stone dust and sand around their feet swirling around them like little sand devils. "She's heard you! Good on you using the fancy words!" The wind stung Lyndrys' face and dried her eyes, causing her to shut them quickly as the wind became a gale. Lyndrys gasped as all the air was knocked out of her lungs, causing her to choke on a vaccum.

Seconds later found the pair standing back in the Grand Dining Hall in Hyrule Castle, Lyndrys choking and coughing as she regained lost air. "Dungeons and Dragons was wrong! Teleporting sucks!" Lyndrys heaved out as the emerald amulet in her hands crumbled to dust, it's power expended. It was about this time when the dining room doors opened, Impa appearing through them.

"Master Link, Mistress Lyndrys... you've returned? And with such haste... what-" She gasped as her eyes fell on Annabelle's lifeless body. "Princess!?" Link laid her out on the table, her midsection completely crushed from Ganon's mighty fist. "Princess what-" She turned to Lyndrys and Link. "What happened?"

"We'll explain in a moment. Where's the king?"


	3. Two: Truth, and Revelations

Chapter Two: Truth, Revelations, and a Desert Hike

It was impossible to read the expression on the middle-aged man's face, his coal eyes examining the body before him as his tented hands rested on his thick brown beard. His gaze was definitely not the gaze of a man who had just lost his daughter, but one who was pushed into a position he didn't want to find himself in.

"Your Highness-" Link spoke after explaining what happened at Death Mountain to King Harkinian, the royal man turning to face him. "-I beg you to hide nothing else from us... Annabelle told us her dying wish is that you tell us the fate of the _real_ Princess Zelda."

"Y-yeah, and I've got some questions of my own but... that'll come later." The King took a deep breath.

"Yes, I suppose the time has come, hasn't it?" He unfolded his arms and placed them on the table, holding Annabelle's hand. "When I was a younger man, I had two children... a boy, and a girl. My son, the Prince, was the eldest by a year, but I could already tell by the time he was young that he lusted after my throne. I knew that – in the event of my death – he would ascend to the throne, I placed a... stipulation on the chamber that holds the Triforce. My daughter – Princess Zelda – was a kind hearted woman, always worried about others before herself. I knew that if _she_ were to ascend to the throne instead of her brother, Hyrule would be safe. So, I enchanted the room housing the Triforce with a magic that only one _not_ of royal blood could open it. I knew that Impa would be the best judge of character, and charged her with hastening Zelda's ascension to the throne. I have told only two people of this enchantment... Impa... and Zelda. My son tried to steal the Triforce of Power to use it against me, to steal my throne."

"But he couldn't get through the door, right?" Lyndrys chimed in.

"Correct. Enraged, he asked why, and I of course refused to answer. He then pressed his sister for the information... who refused to answer. Enraged, he begged my court wizard to force the Princess to divulge the secret. Instead... the old codger placed an extremely powerful sleeping spell on the Princess. The Prince was... beside himself with grief. Greedy, yes... but he still loved his sister as family. Overcome with the knowledge that he would no longer see his sister again... he hung himself from the castle tower."

"Grim..." Lyndrys muttered.

"Could the spell not be reversed?"

"No." Harkinian shook his head. "My court wizard... died casting the spell, and we were never certain what exact spell he cast... the only thing that can reverse it is a wizard of equal power... or the power from the Obsidian Destroyer's Blade."

"The Destroyer's Blade?" Link mused. "One of the Blades of Creation?"

"Aye... the blade has the ability to destroy any enchantment it comes in contact with. I have been searching for the Destroyer's Blade for ten years now..."

"And... Annabelle?" Lyndrys asked, since no one else would. Harkinian gave a dry, false laugh.

"Annabelle was... a necessity. Her parents didn't want her, and I couldn't have rumors of the Princess' fate leaving the castle. So, I adopted the girl, and taught her from day one that she was now Princess Zelda. She..." He shook his head. "Some days, even I thought she was actually my daughter... and I had to hold myself in reserve, lest I forget completely."

"The King... hid this information from everyone..." Impa chimed in. "Even I didn't know until today that the woman I thought to be the Princess was not." Link gave Lyndrys' shoulder a light tap.

"I get it now." He told her, causing her to quirk an eyebrow.

"Get what?"

"Why you're here. Ganon was sealed by the last Queen of Hyrule over three hundred years ago. Only a woman with royal blood can seal the Wizard King away..."

"And our Princess has been asleep for ten years." Lyndrys nodded, Link echoing. "So, we need to wake her up. I still don't see why I'm here."

"To weild the Obsidian Destroyer's Blade." Harkinian answered. "The Obsidian Destroyer was one of the Banished Goddesses of Hyrule's history, along with the Alabaster Architect. The Architect and the Destroyer were banished to the Void Realm after Din, Nayru and Farore found out they had planned on destroying Hyrule and us."

"Why would they do that?"

"The Twins are fickle, my girl. They create, then they get bored, and they destroy. The Three couldn't stand by this, and banished their own mothers."

"And I thought _my_ family was fucked up..." Lyndrys mused. "That doesn't answer the question why I need to be here."

"The Obsidian Destroyer's Blade has killed every single hero who has ever found and wielded it... except one. A human." Link explained.

"The Obsidian Destroyer loved humanity like the Alabaster Architect loved the Hylians. The Obsidian Blade can only be wielded by a Champion from beyond the Veil... _you_."

"Whereas if you were to touch the Alabaster Blade..."

"It would kill me, right?"

"It... would erase you from existence." Harkinian expanded. "You would cease to exist, and to everyone else... it would be as though you never did."

"Ah, so true permadeath. Goooot it." She ran a hand through her hair. "So, where are these 'Blades of Creation'?"

"They are kept separate, as one could imagine. The Alabaster Architect's blade is close, here on this continent. The Obsidian Destroyer's Blade is kept far, far away from it, across the sea to the East, though I know not exactly where."

"Well, we should at least get one then. We should make haste for the Architect's Blade."

"Before you do..." Harkinian stood and motioned them to follow. "There is something you must see... and I feel like I must see as well. To... show you what you fight for." He lead the pair – trailed by Impa – through the castle and to a locked door. "I have allowed no one into this wing of the castle in ten years... I believe it's high time I unlock it." He reached down the front of his tunic to retrieve a key on the end of a gold chain, pulling the chain off and slipping the key into the lock and turning it.

This wing has definitely not felt the touch of a person in some time. Cobwebs hang from all corners and dead flowers rest in moldy vases. Torches that have not felt the flicker of flame in some time rest cold and alone on the stone walls. King Harkinian takes one such torch off the wall and flicks his hand, the end of the torch bursting into a brilliant gout of flame.

"For generations, only a select few in Hyrule have any real magic. Slight of hand and cheap parlor tricks can be learned by anyone with enough dedication but... true magic? That is reserved for a select few."

"What about Ganon?" His face contorted into a mix of fury and sadness.

"Ganon was... a former King of Hyrule. He went mad with power and tried to conquer all the world, bringing every place under his rule. It was his own sister that finally sealed him away, creating the seals and the lineage that even I hail from."

"You're realated to that... pig?"

"Distantly."

"Why doesn't he look huma – er... Hylian anymore?" Lyndrys corrected herself, Link's words echoing in her mind.

"Greed and power corrupts, Lyndrys dear. That corruption rests in your heart, but it manifests on one's body as well. His lust for power turned his once fair visage into a twisted face of pure evil. It... is because of Ganon that most males in the Royal family cannot used magic... after his corruption, the Three banned magic from male members of the Royal family. There are some – such as myself – who have the smoldering embers of magic resting inside of them... but there is little I can do." Silence fell across them as they made turn after turn, descending to the deepest reaches of the castle, the hallways spiraling down and down, the darkness touching them all creeping in closer and closer.

"How far down are we?"

"Far. Past the cellar, past the wine cellar... we are in a part of the castle none have touched in many a year." Finally, they came to a door that looked rotten, yet was still whole. Harkinian took a deep breath and placed his unused hand upon the door. This room which lay beyond the derelict and decrepit looked the exact opposite. Torches lit the room brightly as their amber flame flickered about, banishing the darkness in all corners – an all-consuming light which seemed to be seeping from the very walls themselves. A long, red carpet adorned the floor as it stretched between marble pillars which supported the ceiling. Resting at the end of the long rug was an elegantly decorated bed with the body of a young woman lying upon it, her arms crossed over her chest as though she were from a fairy tail. To the casual observer, it was as though she were simply sleeping – the trio walking in on her nightly rest. However, even Lyndrys could feel the dark magics hanging over her. Her brown hair was splayed gently out around her head, almost as if displayed.

"Damn, she's beautiful." Lyndrys found herself admitting, looking at Link and Harkinian.

"...my beautiful daughter..." Harkinian mused, running his unused hand down the woman's cheek. "Link. Lyndrys. Before you lies the true Princess of Hyrule... the true Zelda. I beg of you, not as a king, but as a father... travel the land and locate the Blades of Creation. Once you find the Obsidian Destroyer's Blade, bring it back here and banish this fifteen year curse from my girl's soul. I promise you any aid you may need in your quest."

"We'll need supplies." Link muttered.

"Done."

"And... probably transport?" Lyndrys tried to be helpful.

"I shall saddle the fastest horses in the kingdom to aid you." Lyndrys looked over to Link quickly, whispering.

"...I don't know how to ride a horse..."

"It's not that hard, you'll pick up on it." Harkinian looked at the two, two tears in his eyes.

"Please... you haven't an idea how much this means to me. Not just as the King of Hyrule. I strive to see my people safe, and would aid you regardless of personal involvement... but..."

"It's okay, your highness." Lyndrys started. "I'm in this to win it, so I promise you, I'll do everything in my power to wake your daughter, and save Hyrule."

"Thank you." He inhaled, looking like a much younger man. "But you can do naught with no rest and little food. Come, spend the night and you shall leave in the morning. I... I shall leave this room unlocked - should you find your resolve falter, and you need a reminder. Master Link, your guest room is still as you left it, and you may retire at your leisure. Lady Lyndrys... I would ask you stay in Zelda's – Annabelle's room tonight. She seemed... adamant that should you return, you be allowed to rest in her room." Lyndrys piqued an eyebrow at the statement.

"Was... Annabelle some kind of pyschic?"

"She was touched when she was younger, and often gifted visions of the future. If that is what you mean, then yes." The trio turned and began the lengthy process of leaving the eternally slumbering princess. "She would oft counsel me on matters of the court, and her counsel was always a boon. Most Goddess Blessed are possessed of some future sight."

"Goddess Blessed?" Lyndrys asked as the door shut.

"Yes. It is uncommon – but not unheard of – for young girls who are without parents to be touched by the Three. They are sought after by kings and generals for their foresight." He smiled in the darkness. "I am blessed to have met two in my time."

"Who was the other?" Harkinian gave a dry, knowing chuckle at this. "What?"

"You are, my dear."

"What? How... how can you tell?"

"Master Link?"

"Those who are Goddess Blessed-" Link began his explanation. "-often prefer the company of other women."

"Ah..." It took Lyndrys a moment for this thought to form into words and meanings in her head. "W-wait! I-I'm not gay!"

"Of course not, my dear. I daresay none of us are, after today's dismal events." Lyndrys inwardly kicked herself for forgetting 'gay' originally meant a lively spirit. The differences between Hyrule and her reality were starting to show more and more.

"That's..." She sighed. "...not what I meant, but roll with it." Silence befell them once more as they emerged from the cellar and back to the castle proper. The sky was getting darker by the time they arrived, Link's yawn told them today had taken quite the toll on their spirits. Lyndrys found herself echoing Link's yawn, and it wasn't long before the pair had said their good nights to Harkinian and retired to their appointed rooms.

"Hey, Lyndrys-" Link stopped Lyndrys before she could shut the door on him. "I... just wanted to say that... I don't care if you do prefer the company of other women. S'far as I'm concerned, you're still a friend."

"I already told you-" She muttered. "-I'm not like that."

"There's no need to hide it, Lyndrys. I don't know if it's... as stigma, or a taboo in your world, but here, it's considered a blessing." Lyndrys decided to just stop fighting it, and go to bed... she was too tired for these shenanigans.

"Good night, Link. Talk to you in the morning."

"Good night, Lyndrys. Sleep well." She shut the door and undressed for bed, removing her boots and tunic. She'd gotten quite confortable in the black garment, even the shortness of it about her legs she'd found a strange comfort in. Maybe she was settling into this queer twist of fate she'd suffered... Pulling the regal covers over her shoulders, she rested her head on the cold, comfortable pillow, and closed her eyes, hoping everything worked out from here.

" _Now... here's a juicy little morsel..._ " A harmonic voice came to Lyndrys' sleep-addled ears, her eyes slowly opening. " _Fresh from Earth and right into my arms... classic._ " Lyndrys looked around, unable to focus on one thing or another in the dark room.

"Mmmph..." She grumbled, blinking. "O's there?" Her words came out like a woman loaded with drink, unable to form a full sentence for the life of her.

" _Fu-fu-fu-fu-fu..._ " The voice chuckled. " _Looks like little Lyndrys is awake..._ " She slowly sat up in bed, finding that the room she was in wasn't the one she had fallen asleep in. Her head panned around and took everything in. She was in the same bed, but the room had changed dramatically. There was no floor, walls or ceilings, but she could make out shadows of where they should be. A chair sat a few feet away from her, and the stars all around her swirled in a dizzying pattern as a woman paced back and forth. " _Hello, my juicy little human morsel_... _Do you know who I am?_ " Lyndrys blinked, rubbing her eyes.

The woman and fire-red hair and pulsing red eyes. Her pale skin was highlighted by a pitch black dress that seemed to swirl with a whole different group of stars. Unless Lyndrys squinted, it was impossible to even tell there _was_ a dress there to begin with, if it weren't for the subtle, gentle glistening the light of the stars reflected off her hips and breasts. Her nails were painted a pitch black and her lips were so beautiful, even if the thought of kissing them hadn't entered her head, hers were lips that _demanded_ to be kissed.

"I'm going to take a guess..." The fatigue had left her. "...and say the... Obsidian Destroyer?" The woman's kissable lips – coated in a thick, shiny black lipstick – curled into a smile as she took the chair before her.

" _Smart girl... mmm, I do like them smart._ " She placed her pale elbows on her knees and rested her head upon her open palms. " _Tell me pretty little thing..._ " She cooed, her pulsing crimson eyes blinked for a half second before falling upon her again. " _Why do you seek my blade?_ "

"Because." Lyndrys began. "We must wake the sleeping princess... and I have heard that your blade can destroy any enchantment..."

" _My blade can destroy any_ thing _._ " She corrected. " _People. Things. Whole realities. What makes you think you've the strength to wield it?_ "

"Nothing." Lyndrys shook her head. "As a matter of fact, I would be surprised if I could." The woman's smile broadened.

" _Sma-art girl._ " She echoed. " _I like you, Lyndrys Pyre of Earth. I wanted to see what kind of person you were._ "

"I could be lying to you." Lyndrys muttered. Why? Why did she say that?!

" _No._ " The Obsidian Destroyer mused, her smile making Lyndrys sleepy. " _You couldn't be. Because lying to a Goddess... would be foolish._ " She stood and advanced on Lyndrys, her hips swaying with her motions and her breasts bouncing in tune with her moves – the whole vision appearing as a carefully choreagraphed symphony, created just for Lyndrys. She placed both hands on Lyndrys' head, causing her to fall to the pillow. As Lyndrys looked at the Destroyer, her playful smile slowly turned predatory. Lowering her head, the woman's lips parted just enough for Lyndrys to view the multitudes of razor-sharp teeth lining her jaw. Before panic could set in, she felt a pair of lips against hers, and she was asleep once more.

She was woken what she assumed to be the following morning by Link's worried face hanging over her bed. "You're awake... good, I was starting to get scared-" Lyndrys groaned, pushing herself up. "Whoa, there. Easy."

"'M fine..." She groaned, rubbing her soar neck. "Gaaaah... I'm still so sore...?" Link watched as she slowly rose herself from her bed and sat up.

"You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

"You were screaming in your sleep... By the time I got here, you'd fallen unconscious and quieted." Lyndrys looked out the window near her bed, no light coming from the curtains.

"What time is it?"

"Late." He answered with a nod, gently pushing her back onto the bed. "You should rest."

"I'm fine... feel pretty good."

"Regardless..."

"Had the craziest dream..."

"Dream?" Link paused mid-turn and focused his attention back on her. "What kind of 'dream'."

"I spoke to – you're gonna think I'm crazy – but I spoke to the Obsidian Destroyer." Link paused.

"...so that was no dream..." He sat on the bed at Lyndrys' feet. "I don't think it was a dream, Lyndrys... if it were, you and I had similar ones. I... had what I thought was a dream... where I was visited by the Alabaster Architect. I know you're not from here and... I don't know how things vary in your home but... dreams like that? In Hyrule...? They're often no dream, but a vision. I think it was the Goddess' way of testing us." Lyndrys groaned.

"Too early for visions and shit..." She gave her cheek a light slap. "I don't suppose your... vision... was any help in locating the Architect's Blade?"

"Yes, actually." He smiled at this revelation. "She said she laid her blade in the temple within Parapa Desert." He seemed rather pleased to give this information. "I know you're not from here, but Parapa's not that far to the north... a day, at most, walk." Lyndrys nodded.

"A'ight..." She slurred. "Lemme... see if I can catch some sleep, and we'll head out first thing."

"Agreed." He patted her shoulder. "Sleep well, if you can."

"Make an attempt..."

The next morning found Lyndrys somewhat rested, though the trauma of her 'vision' was clear upon her fatigue-laden eyes. Harkinian noticed the death-like list in her motions as well as her unfocused gaze at breakfast.

"Are you quite alright, my dear?" He asked after a few moments of inwardly debating asking. "You look quite tired... was the bed not to your liking?"

"Oh no..." She yawned. "...s'actually the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in... I just... had a rough night. Visions of vampire chicks and all." She was up second after Link, and last to shuffle down to breakfast.

"Ah, yes... I've heard rumors the Destroyer is not as gentle with her visions as the Architect is." Lyndrys looked over to Link in her half-haze.

"Hey Link buddy... do me a favor?" He looked up from his plate with a questioning gaze. "Do try your best to _not_ tell everyone ever little thing that happens to me. It's... kinda rude where I'm from."

"I apologize. I meant no disrespect."

"I know... just... fair warning."

"Link says you're off to Parapa Desert... I must say you're braver then most. Parapa hasn't had visitors in some time The octoroks and leevars are in full force, so keep your wits about you."

"It's got nothing to do with bravery, Your Highness." Lyndrys muttered through bites of egg. "We're committed, and if I want to even have a chance to go home, this is it."

"Well... even if that is true, I trust you'll begin to think of Hyrule as your home, on the off-chance that – Three Forbid – your return is impossible." Lyndrys _really_ didn't want to entertain this thought... but it had entered her head more then once. "I've sent Impa to the stables to prepare you horses for your journey. They will be of no use in Parapa, but they should at least get you there." Lyndrys blinked, her goblet half-raised to her lips.

"Okay, I'm going to be honest here." She spoke, both Link and Harkinian looking at her. "I have... no idea how to ride a horse."

"You'll be fine. Just follow my lead, and you'll be a natural in no time."

"Or – you know – trampled. Whichever happens first." She shrugged before taking a drink of the breakfast wine – the same from the morning before they left for southern Hyrule the first time. It went down much smoother this time – probably because she expected the taste this time – and helped round the meal off nicely.

"You'll be fine." Link echoed again.

Harkinian and the pair of heroes finished breakfast, the king walking them down to the courtyard, where Impa had a pair of chocolate-colored horses saddled and ready to go. "Here are your steeds. They can carry you to the edge of Parapa, to the town of Rauru. Once there, I'm afraid it'll be on foot from there out." He motioned to a guard, who handed him two small pouches. "Take this small donation to your efforts from the crown. Use it to buy whatever supplies you require from Mido." Lyndrys was the first to open her received parcel, her blank stare telling both Harkinian and Link she had no idea what she held.

"Woo a... topaz?" Inside the small pouch was a small gold gem – well cut into a marquis pattern – along with several small red ones in the same cut. "Oh, couple'a rubies in here too."

"Rupees, not rubies." Link explained. "They're Hyrule's currency..." Harkinian smiled.

"Ah yes... sometimes I forget you're not from around here, Lyndrys. My apologies."

"Oh, sweet. Money." Her dour expression upturned into a smile. "I apologize, thank you for this, Your Hightness." Harkinian gave a bow to the pair.

"No, 'tis I who should be thanking you. Though you say it is not bravery, I am inclined to disagree with you... you show immense bravery in even agreeing to undertake this mission. Blessing of the Twins – and the Three – go with you. The fate of Hyrule rests in your capable hands." Link returned the bow along with a stilted one from Lyndrys. Link turned and put his left foot into the stirrup of one of the horses, hoisting himself up and throwing his other leg around. He looked like he belonged on the back of a horse, his sword resting gently on his side as his shield settled on his back. Lyndrys gave herself a quick, internal pep talk as she attempted to mimic Link's fluid motions to mount her own horse. She could barely lift her leg that high, and once she managed to get it into the stirrup, she found mustering the strength to pull her whole body up rather difficult.

"Hrk..." She grunted after her first attempt. "Hnnnnnng!" Came her second attempt. "Oh, well this is embarassing." She mused, taking a breather. "Don't suppose you've got a step stool or something?" She made one last attempt to clambor on, which looked more like a cat attempting to pull itself out of the gutter by all means, both her hands latched firmly onto the saddle's side as she crawled her way up. "O-okay... far from perfect but... I got on!"

Lyndrys learned best by watching someone who's clearly done this before. She studied Link as he gave his horse a light, but firm nudge to the side to urge it on. She copied this motion, her horse starting off at a light cant, keeping up in time with Link. "See! You're doing good!" She held the reigns firmly, slowly and gently pulling them left and right to check how the horse reacted. When she pulled them left, the horse slowly turned left... and when she pulled right, it went right. Really... it was no different then driving a car... except only one of those activities she's actually done.

"Okay, not as bad as I thought..." She muttered as Link have his horse another firm – slightly harder this time – kick in the sides to urge it into a gallop, releasing a powerful 'Hyaa!' as he did so. "Alright horse... let's go... I guess?" She gave it another kick to the sides, her own mount bolting into a gallop to follow Link. He was a good distance ahead of her, the trail of dust his horse's hooves kicked up helping her find him in the open fields. As she rode, she got into the sensation of the creature between her legs, it's powerful hooves galloping across the countryside as the dull ' _clikkityclak_ ' of iron shoes on cobblestone path filled her ears.

It was exhilerating and frighting at the same time... the wind whipping through her hair, the speed and the power of her mount all rolled into one indescribable sensation Lyndrys had never felt before. Link slowed down to let her catch up, a big grin on his face as she pulled up along side him. "Hey! See! You're getting the hang of it!" His voice was loud, fighting the whistling wind between them.

"Yeah! It's... it's actually kinda fun!" Link laughed at her words, reaching over and slapping her lightly on the shoulder.

"Just think, Lyndrys! This could be your life! Once Ganon's dead, you and I could spend the rest of our lives riding the fields of Hyrule! You'd be your own woman, your own boss! And! And, you'd be a hero!" She didn't want to admit it... but the thought was very tempting. She already had her doubts that she wanted to go back. Sure, life here was hard, and definitely something out of her history text book on medieval life... but it wasn't bad. The air was so clean, the scenery so beautiful... for a moment... Lyndrys almost didn't want to go back. But this _wasn't_ her home. She wasn't Hylian, she was Human. Humans didn't belong in Hyrule... just like she would expect that Link would think Hylians wouldn't belong in her world. Link pulled back on the reigns, sounding off with a powerful 'Whoa!' and slowed the horse down to a gentle canter. Lyndrys did the same, letting Link catch up with her. "Don't want to run the poor beasts ragged. One of the good things about horses – that could easily backfire on you – is they'll run until you either tell them to stop, or they drop dead." He reached down and patted his horse's mane with a hand, smiling. "They're magnificent animals, aren't they?"

"Yeah..." Lyndrys also patted her horse, the creature seeming to sneeze in response. "We have them back home, you know."

"Do you?" He seemed genuinely surprised by this, looking at her. "That's odd, I'd say... and yet you've never seen an Octorok before the other day-?"

"No." Lyndrys shook her head.

"Moblin?"

"Nope." Link blinked.

"Bokoblin?"

"A whobie whatie?" She answered, looking at him with the queerest scrunch to her face.

"It's kind of a little goblin-like creature. About the size of a man with a base level of intelligence akin to a sea sponge." Lyndrys sputtered a laugh. "You think I'm joking."

"No, I know you're not. It's just a funny image." She looked about. "Hey Link... can we pull over for a second?" He stared at her for a moment.

"Sure... what's up?"

"Well... if you'll excuse me for being blunt... I gotta pee something fierce..." Link sputtered a laugh and waved her on.

"Sure, sure. We're just about to hit the edge of the Northern Woods. I suppose we could stop there and let you relieve yourself..." A pause. "Come to think of it, I might do the same."

"Well, you find your own tree, okay?"

As he said, they had come across a patch of trees on the western side of the road, just before a fork in the trail. The pair pulled off and loosely tied their horses to a tree not to far away, and went their seperate ways to find a tree to squat behind. Lyndrys was a survivalist – she's been living without what her world would consider 'modern convienences' for some time, so the idea of peeing behind a tree was not something she was new to. The best part, with her new attire, she didn't have to worry about putting pants somewhere they wouldn't get dirty. Bracing her back against the tree, she closed her eyes and took in the subtle sounds of the wind rustling the tree leaves. As strange as it sounds, doing her business in a grouping of trees was probably the most home-like experience she's had this entire time. Sure, she was in another reality... but some things didn't change too much.

Relieved and renewed, Lyndrys got herself situated best she could and headed back to the horses, where Link was already untying his own horse. "Sorry... got hit with that 'gotta go now' feeling."

"No need to apologize. I had to go too, so no harm no foul. Better to go now then hold it too long, we're still a bit away from Rauru." He wandered over as Lyndrys eyed her horse. "Do you... want some help up?"

"No, I got this... I think..." She managed to get one leg in the stirrup, but struggled much longer then the first time. She made – in total – seven attempts to get herself back on the horse's back, the whole time the animal simply watching her out of the corner of it's eye, silently judging her. "Stop... stop staring at me with your accusing eyes, horse!" She playfully joked. "I've only done this once..." She made one last valiant effort to mount the horse, which ended with her falling off the stirrup and onto her back. "...owies..." She groaned, looking up at Link's friendly visage. There was a smile there, but she felt like he wasn't judging her for her ineptitude, but genuinely wanting to help. "...I'll take that help now, if it's still offered..." Link gave a laugh at her choice of wording and offered her a hand to stand up with. She took it with a thankful nod and stood from her prone position, Link dropping to a knee, cupping his hands by the horse.

"Alright, just put your foot there, and I'll help you up." Placing her left foot into his cupped hand, she was lifted up just enough to get her other leg over the horse. "There you go."

"Thanks... you know, for not really laughing at me."

"Hey, we all start somewhere. I can tell – though you may have them where you're from – they're either not common... or you've just never ridden one."

"Never ridden one. They're more something people with a lot of money would own... money and land." Link went over to his own horse after untying Lyndrys' and hoisted himself up, the pair starting their long journey to Rauru.

"So Lyndrys..." Link began after a moment, the woman looking over to him. "Tell me a bit about your family? Why was Ganon so keen on changing them?" Lyndrys fell silent as these words left his mouth. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to dredge up bad mem-"

"They're not my parents, okay?" She started in a small voice. "I want to get one thing painfully clear... and that's those... _people_ who insist they birthed me... don't give a damn about me. If they did, I would fall asleep in a bed every night, under a roof, with people I love... not in a tarp tent in the back yard of an abandoned lot, forced to steal from honest, hard working people for food, water and toilet paper." She looked up to the brilliant morning sun as she rode, confident her horse would follow the trail. "I don't know what it means to be praised for doing a good job. I don't know what it means to be loved to... to have a safety net to fall back on. I'm fifteen... and I'm living my life as a vagrant. I steal for food... I run from the police on a daily basis... and for what? Does anyone care? No." She sighed. "I'm just another heartless bitch 'abusing the system'. Do people care _why_ I steal? Why I rob them for basic necessities? No, of course not. They just care it happens. So whether or not I do it for fun, or because I have no choice... it's all the same in their eyes."

"There had to have been a time?"

"If there was, it was before I could remember. I don't ever remember going to school... I don't ever remember any of the things other kids my age take for granted. I've always been invisible to everyone else... even those who claim to be my parents. I was an... 'inconvenience' to them at the best of times. Always interrupting their partying... their drinking. 'Go to bed, Lyndrys, your father and I are enjoying ourselves.'" She mocked her mother's voice. "'Don't you have somewhere better to be, Lyndrys? Anywhere but here? Your mother and I are watching television.'" She mocked in her father's tone now. "I wasn't a child to them... I wasn't _their_ child. I was a... an _inconvenience_." She shook her head again, her head dropping down. "Do you know I've never hugged my mother? Kissed my father good night? Even when I was living with them, they would barely see fit to say good night to me." She sighed. "I cried every night back then."

"What changed?"

"I stopped caring. If I was such an inconvenience to them... then I'd just leave. So I did. When I was ten, I left home looking for a place to live. One of our neighbors down the block had moved out and could never sell their home. I jammed the gate shut so no one could open it, and I started stealing from the hardware stores to build a home. A tent yes... ramshackle yes... but it was more home then that horrible place ever was. It got cold at night, yes... the wind chilled me to the bone... but it was a hundred times warmer then the dour expression on my mother's face when she'd talk to me... or my father's dead-fish eyes when I'd ask him something." A pause.

"I was an accident, you know." She admitted. "My mother even told me that. 'The Eighteen Year Accident' she'd call me to her friends, when she thought I couldn't hear. A drunken night of passion between two drunk kids leads to the worst person to ever walk God's green Earth." She closed her eyes and laughed. "I wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't even noticed I was gone yet."

"It's been almost three weeks..."

"Three weeks or three minutes... any time with me away and out of their mind was heaven for them." She shrugged. "Either that, or they've written me off as dead, and broke out the good champagne."

"That's terrible..."

"Welcome to my life." Lyndrys finished, looking to him. "You wanted to know."

"I'm sorry, I... shouldn't have asked."

"No... I'm... glad you did. I can tell... just by looking at you, that you actually care about me."

"Of course!" Came Link's strong answer. "You're a trusted friend and a stalwart ally. I'd follow you to the abyss... if for no other reason then to help you destroy it." Lyndrys laughed at this, nodding to him. She's not been this happy in some time, and it showed.

"Thanks Link. Means a lot to me." She fell silent as her eyes returned to the road. "What about you? What are your parents like?" Link simply shrugged to her question.

"I don't know." Lyndrys blinked, unable to believe her ears.

"The hell do you mean 'you don't know'?"

"My father was never there, and my mother died when I was very young." He looked to her with a genuine smile. "I guess in a way, you and I are similar in that regard." She answered with a surprised grunt and a nod. They fell quiet, the gentle plains rolling on as they made slow progress towards the town of Rauru.

Lyndrys imagined this is how roadtrips were, except much slower then they would be in a car. The sun was already starting it's journey below the horizon by the time they reached the town of Rauru on the edge of Parapa Desert. Lyndrys could see a clear definition between the rolling hills and plains of Hyrule, and the endless sand of Parapa Desert. The pair rode into town, a menagerie of civilians all glaring at them as they went down the road.

"Friendly lot..." Lyndrys muttered sarcastically as she caught the eye of a woman staring her down from the shadows.

"Most small towns like this are suspicious of outsiders... ones from the castle especially." Lyndrys blinked at this, turning her attention to Link.

"How can they tell where we're from?" Link simply smiled back at her.

"You can't?" Lyndrys looked out to the group staring at them... and now that she really looked, she could tell there was a definite class difference between her and Link and the rest of them. Most were dressed in dirty rags, while a few were in just regular rags. She looked down at her attire and it fell into place. She was dressed nicely, had a horse, and wore a sword on her hip. It wasn't hard to make the connection. They rode up to a larger building with a wooden sign hanging out front, the decayed, ratted sign showing a chest in relief. "General Store, just what we need." He dismounted, looking up as Lyndrys did the same. "Don't worry too much. Spend some money on supplies, and I'm sure the townsfolk will look more favorably on us. Come." He motioned them towards the store, pushing the sandblasted wooden door open with a hand.

The inside of the store was poorly lit – a single failing torch flickering weakly in the corner – as an gruff, elder gentleman stood behind the counter, his back turned to Lyndrys and Link as he scanned the shelf. "G'evenin'." He grunted, slowly turning. "Ah, and travelers..." A smile graced his rugged appeareance. "What can I get fer ya?" He placed both hands on the counter, giving the pair his full attention. Lyndrys looked about the store, taken back by all the goods around her.

"We're searching for supplies – potable water and food that will keep in the desert."

"Ah, bravin' Parapa, are ya?"

"Mm, aye. We've business in the sands, and we know not how long it will take."

"Well lad, ya've come to the right man. Been livin' in this town almost thirty years... know just about ever grain of sand out in Parapa. If you can tell me what yer lookin' for, I may be able to help you."

"As odd as it seems... we're looking for a sword." The man's eyes gleamed to the blade at his side.

"I'd question why you'd be lookin' fer a sword, when there's a perfectly good one on yer hip... but I think I know what sword yer lookin' for." He shook his head. "Aye, I know where it is."

"You do?!" Link was excited to hear such good news.

"Aye, but I'm afraid you'll not be able to get it." Link looked less thrilled to hear this.

"And why's that?"

"The cave it's resting in has become a sacred site for a group of Gerudo."

"Gerudo...? I... I don't know what or who that is."

"Aye, and you shouldn't either. The Gerudo are a tribe from across the sea... they've dark skin and very angular features. Sad thing is... they've been rather aggressive of late. Every person who's gone out there has been turned away... or worse."

"Worse?"

"One of the village's younger lads – promising boy – went out there to 'sort them out' in his words..."

"What happened to him... if I couldn't guess..."

"His head came back in a box left at the edge of the village... along with every other limb in seperate crates."

"Ugh..." Lyndrys wretched.

"Aye, terrifying sight. Look... I won't stop ya from goin' out there to check it our fer yourselves... but I will leave you this warning. If'n you come across the Gerudo, keep yer wits about you, and yer hand away from yer sword. They're not hostile... if'n yer not hostile'a them." He paused. "It was water an' food you was after, yeah?"

"Please." Link nodded.

"I can part with... ten waterskins of water... and four sides of jerky. The jerky don't taste too good, but it's nutritious and will keep damn near forever. The waterskins can carry 'bout a day's ration of water."

"And the sides of jerky? About how many days is that?"

"If'n yer sparin' with it, yer lookin' at about three days per side."

"Mmm... so five days of water, six days of food." He looked to Lyndrys. "Think that'll be enough?"

"I certainly hope so." Lyndrys responded. "Figure we'll head out for a few days, poke around. On day three, we'll start heading back." A thought entered her head. "Oh! Do you happen to have a pair of compasses? We'd hate to get lost on our way back."

"A compass? Sure... lemme see where I put it..."

"Good thinking, Lyndrys."

"I try." She shrugged.

"Yer sister's got a good head on'r shoulders, friend!" He came up from below the counter with a pair of iron compasses, placing them on the table.

"She's not my sister, but yes she does."

"Huh... could'a fooled me. 'Cept for those round ears'a hers, you two look almost just alike."

"And I'm not blonde-" Lyndrys chimed in, stepping away from a display of fine pottery. "-and where I'm from, talking about a lady behind her back – when she can hear you – is incredibly rude." The old man took this as a joke, exploding into a torrent of thundering guffaws.

"Ah, lass, yer a firecracker, you are. Lemme go get you your waterskins and jerky fer your trip." He meandered his way behind the counter to a door just behind him, opening it. "Feel free to avail yerselves of the town's well. I'd keep 'em filled, but... you know, never know when someone's gonna buy one."

"Yeah, and I'd probably just dump it out and refill it anyway." Lyndrys shrugged. "Thank you for your kindness, sir. My friend and I thank you."

"How much do we owe you?"

"I like you two, so I'll cut'cha a deal. How does eighty rupees for the lot sound?"

"Link, I will let you handle this as... I still have no idea what the two colors mean."

"Ah, lass, yer _far_ from home, ain'cha?"

"You could say that..." Link waved it off and reached for the satchel Harkinian gave him, fishing out the two red rupees. "Lyn, could you hand me to two red ones in your bag, please?" With a nod, she reached into her own satchel and retrieved the two red rupees for Link. "Thanks-" He turned back to the clerk. "Here you are, sir. And as my friend said: thank you for your time and your kindness."

"And I thank you for your custom, lad! Be safe braving Parapa. 'Tis especially warm in the summer months."

"Would you object to us leaving our horses outside your door? They are ill-suited for desert travel."

"Oh, aye! Be my guest, I'll watch 'em for you, make sure they're well taken care of."

"Thank you."

"And one more question for you... these 'Gerudo'? Abouts where can we find them?" Lyndrys decided to ask since Link hadn't, the man placing ten waterskins – about large enough to hold forty to fifty ounces of water – on the counter, followed by four large sides of cured jerky. All in all, they'd be able to carry all that, but not much more. "...and do you have any backpacks...?" She added in, after seeing how much everything was. She knew it would be split, but even so, she'd need something to help her carry all of that.

"Got a couple'a rucksacks... should be large enough to hold most of that."

"Take 'em. How much."

"Bah! Consider them gifts. They've been practically rotting here for fifteen years. You can have 'em." He dug the rucksacks out from under a pile of burlap sacks that looked to have held rice once, and placed them on the counter, after blowing off the dust. "And as to yer first question, the Gerudo have camped by a cave to the north East. It's probably a two and a half day trek from here, by foot."

"Thank you." Lyndrys loaded her rucksack up with two of the jerky sides and four of the water skins, simply unable to fit the fifth one in. They did have, however, small leather straps around the neck to tie them to a belt. That was okay, it was easier to access them this way, if she needed them.

"Thank you." Link nodded, attaching his rucksack to his lower back, Lyndrys doing the same. "You've been too kind."

"Aye! Be safe, you hear?" The trio said their good byes and left the shop, compass in their money bags and food safely tucked away on their back.

"Well, Lyndrys... ever been to a desert before?"

"No... but I guess that's where we're going, huh?" Link nodded, the pair of them standing on the edge of the desert. It was a surreal sight for Lyndrys... behind them was a rolling plain which not so subtly – over the course of a town's main street – devolved into endless sand and cactus. She readied herself.

The two days stretched on impossibly long as Link and Lyndrys made their way across the desert. They had managed to sleep through the nights by taking three hour long guard shifts and switching off, and moving before the sun came up to keep cool for most of the trip. The followed their compasses pretty strictly, pushing ever onward north east until they finally saw it at the dawn of the third day. A rocky mountain stretched up out of the sand and towered over the desert, and around the mountain was a twenty-foot tall sandstone wall. The only visible entrance was guarded by two very well toned female forms, each wearing loose-fitting, silk clothes which – in Lyndrys' eyes – belonged more in the middle east then Hyrule. Both women covered their faces with thin, ethereal veils.

"That must be the Gerudo encampment the old man told us about." Link muttered. "Looks as though they're fortifying it..."

"Or building a city..." Lyndrys responded, pointing out the houses that were starting to take shape. "Look there-"

"Yeah, I see them... you think that's what they're doing?"

"Look how big the site is..." It would have taken them probably upwards of two hours to walk around the walls, and that was with some generous rounding. "...this isn't a 'camp', Link, it's a city."

"Aye... you're right..." He gave her a light slap on the back. "Come. Let's go see if we can't make friends." The pair descended upon the city in a calm, casual fashion, hoping to appear as non-hostile as possible. They managed to close within a few dozen feet of the gate before both guards crossed their spears. "We mean you no harm, I assure you." Link spoke simply, both his hands in the air. Lyndrys held hers at her side, making no hostile guestures.

"You're not welcome here." One guard spoke, shaking her head. "Leave."

"I would love to, but sadly there's something in that cave my friend and I have need of." Link motioned to the cave in the center of the city. One guard looked at the other, the pair speaking to one another in another language apparently neither Link nor Lyndrys knew.

"You'd have to bring that up with our leader."

"May we speak to them, then? I assure you, the matter we'd bring to her attention is-"

"No. You may not." The woman looked at Lyndrys. "But she may."

"Wha-?" To say Lyndrys was taken back by the suddeness of this would be an understatement. "Wh-wh-why me?!"

"Voe are not allowed within the limits of the city. Vai like you, however, are more then welcome."

"Okay, we're officially in the same boat now, Lyn. I have no idea what they're talking about."

"Voe. Men. By Gerudo decree, no men are to be allowed within the walls of our cities. If you wish to converse with our leader, then the voe stays here... the vai may do so." Lyndrys spun around and took hold of Link's collar.

"Link! I'm new here! I have _literally no idea_ what I'm doing! What do I say, what do I tell them!?" Link smiled and patted her head.

"It's okay. You've got this." He turned her towards the gate. "Consider this a learning experience for you." Lyndrys – on the other hand – looked terrified at the concept. The guards parted their spears as Lyndrys took a nervous step forward.

"If you wish, our leader is residing in the large building nearest the cave. Do take care, the guards by the cave are under strict order to strike down anyone attempting to enter without Chief Naroosu's instructions."

"Th-thank you..." Lyndrys nodded, walking between them. Once she was within the city, she took one look back to Link, who only stood with his arms at his hips, and gave her a confident wave. "O-okay Lyndrys... you've got this. Ask... this 'Naroosu' person about the cave... get the sword – don't _touch_ the sword – and then leave. Can't be too hard." She paused her private monologue. "...though to be fair, no men allowed in the city? Man, I thought Drow were mean to their men..."

The streets of the city were just starting to show the beginnings of a market. A rough sandstone street ran down the center of the city and ended at the cave at the center, several smaller streets branching off into alleys and side streets between buildings. Most buildings were still being built, many Gerudo women filling the majority of roles most would associate with construction. The one building that seemed to have been built first – closest to the cave – was her destination. Part of her wanted to explore the shops and markets – since she had time – but the other half of her was _petrified_ at being away from Link – her guide in this whole 'alternate reality' nonsense.

"Hey! Hylian!" A voice called to her from a shop stall. "Interested in legendary Gerudo crafts? Plenty of necklaces and earrings to bring out the shimmer in your eyes!" The woman who called to her was standing behind a jewelry stand.

"Erm..." Lyndrys backed away, shaking her head. "N-no thank you... I appreciate it but I'm... busy..." She stammered, picking up speed.

"Discerning vai like you need discerning clothes!" Another voice called to her. "Everything tailored in my shop, I'm sure I could find something to fit you!"

"N-n-n-naaah I'm okay!" She gave an awkward smile. "They're pretty, but not me, sorry!" That meant two things. She did her best to sprint through the market to the chief's domain, eventually being stopped by two guards.

"Halt. Speak your name and purpose here, vai." One guard spoke.

"H-hello!" Lyndrys responded weakly, her smile forced. "Muh-my name is... uh... Lyndrys and..." She took a deep breath. "I kinda need into the cave." The two guards looked at each other slowly, almost as if asking each other silently if Lyndrys was serious. "Please?" She added.

"We will allow you to speak to Chief Naroosu, but we pretend not to know her answer." The guard on the right turned to the other. "I shall take her." The left guard nodded, staying behind. "Follow, do not stray, touch nothing." Lyndrys fell close in line behind the guard, keeping her hands rigid at her side and her eyes facing forward as she followed, the guard leading her into the building and down a long corridor to a door at the end. She gave the door a quick knock before opening it. "I apologize for the interruption, Lady Naroosu... but you've got a visitor... a Hylian vai wishes to ask something of you." She stepped back and pushed the door open, moving to the side to let Lyndrys in. "Enter. Speak your piece." Lyndrys stepped in, the guard barring the exit as she looked about.

It was a well-apportioned room, belonging to someone of importance in their society. A plush red carpet covered the floor and several silk curtains hung from the wall. A single bed – barely a wooden frame and a feather-stuffed mattress sat near the farthest wall. Lyndrys looked around, expecting the Gerudo leader to be someone tall and imposing. She was surprised to see a young woman – probably no older then she – step from behind a changing screen. Her hair, like the rest of the Gerudo, was fire red and her amber eyes shimmered from just above the gentle red veil she wore.

"Thank you, Mareesa. Please, step outside and join your sister. I wish to speak with the vai alone." Lyndrys looked behind her just to see the door shut quickly. "Mareesa is a good soldier... but she is short sighted..." Naroosu walked towards Lyndrys, her thin fingers brushing her hair aside. "...to mistake a human vai for Hylian..." She smiled to her, a kind, sweet smile. "Tell me, vai... what brings you here...?"

"G-uh..." Lyndrys sputtered, swallowing the lump in her throat. "My... my friend and I are searching for something – a sword – that we've been told is in the cave in the middle of your city... I would very much like to retrieve it." Naroosu looked her over, taking in everything that was Lyndrys Pyre.

"Interesting..." She began. "...tell me your name, vai."

"My name is... uh... Lyndrys." Naroosu's lips curled upwards at the sound of her name.

"Strange thing, fate... so tell me, Lyndrys... what is a human vai like you... doing in Hyrule... with a Gerudo name?"

"Gerudo name, what-"

"Your name is spelled with Y's, yes?"

"Y-yes, what about it?"

"'Lyndrys' is very much a Gerudo name... If the Goddess did not bless me with a vision just this morning, I would think you a liar. So... you seek the White Blade said to be buried in the cave..."

"Yes, I do." She was still thinking about the whole 'having a Gerudo name' thing, unable to say much else.

"Interesting. I know of the sword you speak of. I can show you where it is... but first, you must do me a favor."

"Okay... that... doesn't sound too hard." Naroosu took a seat on a chair.

"And if you're as skilled as I think you to be... it shan't be." She looked to the door and clapped twice, the wooden door opening to reveal another guard. "Leeya, be so kind and retrieve Brenna for me? And ask her to bring some of her supplies with her. I have a job for her." The guard thumped her chest with her fist and bowed, leaving to execute her orders. "But before we get to that favor... you'll _of course_ indulge me in... providing you more appropriate desert attire. You must be _boiling_ in that."

"Boiling... is probably the best word for it, yes." The fabric was not something you'd want to wear in the desert, not to mention the color was just drinking up the sun rays like a thirsty man chugging water. "This... clearly is going to take some time... do you mind if I get a few questions off my mind?"

"Of course. I am an open book." Naroosu responded.

"You don't let men into your city, I got that... where do your men live?" The glee at Lyndrys' ignorance was palpable on Naroosu's face, and even more so in her joyous laugh. "What?"

"Ah, I keep forgetting though you have a Gerudo name, you are not Gerudo. There are no men, Lyndrys. A Gerudo voe is born once ever thousand years... and it is always a joyous occasion."

"So... wait... how the hell do you reproduce then!?"

"We search other species for appropriate mates. Surely you could have figured that out yourself."

"Well... yeah actually... that makes complete sense." She felt a little silly for not seeing the obvious answer, but what was done was done. "And... one more, if you'd allow..."

"Of course."

"I'm no fool, I can see your race pride power amongst everything else... why have you come here? As friend, or conquerers?"

"Friend, I assure you." Naroosu answered instantly. "The... regrettable incident with the young lad several weeks ago was, sadly, beyond my control. He was under some misguided impression that we were hostile, as we had turned away all their delegations-"

"Delegations which were almost – if not completely – all male, yes?"

"-correct. He made the unfortunate mistake of attacking me in broad daylight..." She moved the veil just enough to show a shallow scar in her cheek. "...he was skilled, but easily outnumbered. I was unable to stop what happened next... if you ever find yourself back in his home town, do give them my deepest apologies."

"I think it would mean most coming from your own lips. They're afraid of you because you've been so insular. Instead of having them send delegations, why don't you put one together."

"I have so few people who would be willing to commit to such an action but... your words have given me something to think on." A knock came to the door, signalling the end of their dicussion. "Ah, Leeya and Brenna return. Enter!" The door opened once more, and two Gerudo entered. One had an armful of various fabrics and a large basket of sewing equipment in the other, while the second still held firm her spear. "Brenna, my dear... would you be so kind as to give young Lyndrys something more befitting a vai in the desert?" Brenna nodded and uttered a quick 'of course, lady Naroosu' and instantly set to measuring Lyndrys.

"H-heyo, watch the hands..." Lyndrys muttered.

"Please, Lady Lyndrys, if you'd remove your clothes, this will go much faster." Lyndrys rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Everybody wanting to get me naked recently... the fuck...?" Regardless, she did as instructed, removing the black tunic and boots, piling them in the corner.

"Tell me, Lyndrys..." Naroosu continued. "You look to be no younger then I... yet you carry yourself with the air of a much younger vai... if I may be so bold, how old are you?"

"'M fifteen, why?" She answered, a warm breeze breaking through the window.

"Strange... though I suppose not unexpected. I suppose you are rather young for your race."

"Why is my age such a point of contention recently?"

"It is nothing, I apologize if I offended." The room fell quiet as Brenna worked to tailor an outfit for Lyndrys, the woman in question feeling rather exposed as she stood – practically naked – in a room full of three other women, most of which were fussing over her in some manner. Finally, after about half an hour, Lyndrys spoke up once more.

"If this is going to take much longer-" Brenna had started sewing, so Lyndrys was dressed in some semblance again. "-can I at least go let Link know I'm okay, and you haven't killed me?"

"We'll send someone shortly to let him know you still live. I would ask you not leave until Brenna finishes, in the off chance she requires you again. She waved the guard – Leeya – away to do this deed.

"Tell him I'm not at the Wal Mart! He'll get the reference."

Lyndrys settled in for the long haul, waiting patiently with her Gerudo benefactors, conversing lightly with Naroosu – whom seemed rather interested in her world. The pair talked well into nightfall, in which Lyndrys told Naroosu everything she wished to know about her world, including the rather despicable state of her own family.

"We Gerudo have a belief, Lyndrys..." Naroosu started after Lyndrys finished her thirty-some minute rant about her parents. She had taken this information in stride and, after she had finished, decided to add her proverbial two cents. "...this theory is that... the soul is not often born where it should..." Lyndrys blinked.

"In... what way?"

"We believe it is possible for a soul to... be lead astray either intentionally or unintentionally to be born into a body – or world – that it was not intended for. You are a warrior, even if you yourself do not see yourself as one... you are possessed of a Gerudo name – probably the only in your world that is... I cannot ignore the possibility that your soul was lead astray in the Etherium before your birth... that you are a Gerudo soul trapped in a human body." Lyndrys blinked.

"I... won't say I've not had that thought myself once or twice in the years before – obviously I can't say I came to the conclusion I was supposed to be Gerudo... but the thought I was born in the wrong world has... plagued me for some time. You know, it's strange... I've always wanted to get away... to go somewhere by myself, to travel and to enjoy this gift called life but... at the same time, I want to go home...?" She chuckled to herself. "What kind of messed up am I?"

"No kind." Naroosu mused. "We all yearn for familiarity, it is in our very being... it takes a truly great person to strive for change. I will not tell you to stop searching for a way home; to do so is well past rude and inconsiderate of me. What I will tell you, however... what I will tell you to do is while you search for a way home... enjoy this gift of travel you have been given." These words hit Lyndrys hard, causing her to really rethink her outlook on life. Keep looking for a way home, but enjoy the journey she's been gifted. Yeah... yeah, that's something she'd like to do.

"You've given me quite a bit to think on, Lady Naroosu, thank you for your advice."

"Think nothing of it." She motioned to the presence behind Lyndrys. "And it would appear as though Brenna has finished." Lyndrys stood and faced the much taller Gerudo, whom was holding a garment for her. "I think you'll find this far more flattering then what you were previously wearing... not to mention much cooler in the desert heat." She quickly redressed in the offered outfit, the sky blue silk not what she would call 'her color', but it definitely seemed to work on her. It clung so gently to her body, she barely even noticed it was there... not to mention she felt much cooler just standing there then she did moments ago. She could do without the veil, of course, but she'd wear it around Naroosu and the Gerudo to be polite. "And now, dear Lyndrys... the favor I must ask of you."


End file.
